The Library Job
by a striking mind
Summary: The Team is called to take down two greedy men who are taking over the Boston Public Library. The con doesnt go as planned the librarian Charlotte figures them out. There is something about her that isn't quite right. Can they save the library? Eliot/OC
1. The Boston Public Library

A/N: So I hope you guys like this! It's my first Leverage story ever and it has been so much fun writing such crazy characters! Hope you enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW! I want to know how I did.

**Chapter One – The Boston Public Library**

**_BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, _****_1:00PM_**

Eliot felt ridiculous. He had Nate, Sophie, Parker, and Hardison buzzing around in his head, which was not that unusual. He was wearing jeans, again not too unusual. He had on a long-sleeved plaid button down shirt, okay it was something he would wear on a normal basis. His hair was pulled back into a low ponytail; while he might only do it while he was fighting it wasn't too bad. What was ridiculous was the sweater vest he was wearing over his shirt with a bow tie and none of it was matching. What was also ridiculous was the plastic black nerdy glasses he was wearing. And the worst part was that he had to carry a stupid saddle bag over his shoulder to complete the look. And stupid loafers; he hated loafers with a passion. He looked like a nerd; a nerdy professor from Boston University.

"_Why do I always have to go seduce the girl? Oh that's right because I'm so good at it,"_ he thought somewhat sarcastically to himself.

Women fawned over him. Even in this getup it was hard to hide his big strong muscular frame. As he walked in the main door of the library he could feel women's eyes appraising him up and down. Over the years he had gotten used to it but when he dressed up like this it was still nice to know women still found him desirable.

The library was huge, enormous in fact. It was actually two buildings combined into one. The main lobby was quite intimidating with lots of marble. Huge steps went down directly through the middle of it to the lower level of the first floor. Stairs from either side came down to the far ends. Lions flanked them in intimidating poses. There was gold filigree and murals on all the walls. Eliot couldn't help but gawk a little. It was a little intimidating. The public library was four floors of unbelievable magnitude. The first two floors were mainly for the public, the lower and upper levels were for personnel, hence Eliot's mission. He walked around the staircase; past the reading room, the exhibition on Samuel Adams (though he did see Hardison at the front entrance in his typical security guard outfit), the café and restaurant, to the courtyard looking for his target.

He thought it random that there was a courtyard in a library. All he could think about was that it was a good spot for a sniper to take a shot at you from. It reminded him of a courtyard in a cloister in Madrid, where he had been the sniper. He decided he was staying under the covered walkway and not venturing into the open.

He entered the next building into the fiction section by walking down the steps. People were milling about; some were walking up and down aisles, sitting in chairs, and at the circulation desk (where Parker was doing a terrible job at checking out books). It was rows upon rows of mahogany shelves filled with every short of book imaginable. He looked around and still didn't see her. He went around to the other side of the stairs and started walking up and down the aisles. She had to be here. Her routine was replacing books on the shelves at this time.

He walked down the next aisle, still no target. He peaked down the next aisle and saw her. She was standing on her tiptoes to try and put a book back in its proper place, her other arm was filled with other books. Her back was to him but he still sized her up. She was wearing a short black pencil skirt, an emerald green button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up past the elbows, and black ballet shoes. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She looked powerful and intimidating, and yet welcoming and warm at the same time.

"Found her," he muttered to the team.

"Eliot, we need you to get her distracted. She is the only one who has access to the documents. If you can't get her to physically show you them herself, Parker can come in and steal her key card," Nate said prompting him from headquarters.

"Hey man, I can pick a pocket it's not that hard."

He got no response from Nate. But Parker said, "But I won't have anything to do if I don't pick her pocket," in a very whiny child sort of way. They all decided to ignore her.

Eliot prepared himself for the con. He changed his stance into a nerdy uncertain one. He looked like a lovable confused professor and he even had the badge to prove it. Eliot studied her as he did so. She was still trying to get the book onto the shelf. Exasperated she sighed angrily and placed the other books on the floor but she still couldn't reach with her other arms free. He caught a glimpse of her face. She had smooth porcelain white skin that was unmarked by freckles and large green eyes set in a pleasing face.

In short, she was much more attractive than what he had been expecting. He mentally shrugged at least he got to flirt with a pretty girl this time.

Eliot went over, making his southern accent more pronounced, and said, "Can I help you Ma'm?"

Her head snapped up. Eliot just looked concerned.

Her expression changed. She smiled noting that he was an uncertain and awkward man, nothing more.

"Yes, thank you so much. Could you just put this book right up there?"

She pointed to the spot where she had been trying to put it. She handed the well worn book to him. He fumbled with it a bit but managed to put it on the shelf with no problem. She smiled gratefully and bent down to pick up her other books. Eliot bent down as well nervously and haphazardly shuffling around trying to pick up her books for her. He gently hit his head with hers, trying to make it look like an accent.

"Ouch," she said standing up suddenly and rubbing her head where they had collided.

"Sorry…s…sorry…so sorry, Ma'm." Eliot kept saying over and over again. He was victorious though in picking up the books. "I was just trying…"

"Yes, yes I know you were just trying to be nice and helpful." She took the books from his grasp and asked, "And you are…?"

"Dr. Victor Seymour, from Boston University's History Department." He held forward his hand and shook hers vigorously. "I'm looking for Charlotte Livingston. I'm trying to find some land deeds from 1709 for a thesis I'm writing. I was told I could find those documents from her."

She finally extracted her hand from his grasp. He had shaken it too vigorously and hurt her slightly. She shook her hand trying to get rid of the stinging sensation.

"Well, I'm Charlotte Livingston," she said putting another book back. She wasn't meeting his eye.

Eliot cut her off in a nervous manner. "Oh you are? I was afraid she didn't work today." He quickly glanced down at the title of the next book she was shelving. "Tom Jones," he said matter of factly, "doesn't that author belong on the other side."

She stopped shelving the book and looked at him. "Alright what do you want? My number? A date? What?"

Eliot didn't have to feign nervous shock. "…Wh…What?"

"Look, mister, I know every history professor over at Boston University and you are not one of them. Boston University also has the biggest stored collection of deeds from the 18th century of the Boston area. So if you need a land deed for your thesis you should go there. Those glasses do not have a very strong prescription in them." She was ranting and using a very accusatory tone with him. "And lastly Tom Jones is the name of the book not the title. It's written by Henry Fielding. So ask what you want of me and leave."

Eliot nervously shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Look, I come here every single day and I've been trying to figure out a way to talk to you and-"

She placed another book on the shelf cutting his thought process off. "No you haven't." She stopped and turned to him. She was looking him up and down, appraising him. "You probably haven't been in a library since you were 14, no wait maybe 8. And I bet that was the last time you actually read a piece of literature."

She was angrily pointing her finger at him. Her green eyes flashed with barely concealed rage. Eliot's anger took over for a split second. He grabbed her wrist and pointed angrily at her.

"Hey, missy I read the newspaper!"

"But I bet it's just the sports section and comics!" she said angrily back not intimidated by him.

Someone from the next aisle over shushed them. They shushed too angry to say anything more. Their heads didn't even move in the direction of the person. They were both just staring angrily at each other.

"Now, I would appreciate it if you would let go of my wrist and leave immediately." He dropped it her wrist within loosing eye contact with her. She nodded her head to the right. "The exit is that way." He paused not moving. "Do I need to call security?"

"No," he said gruffly, "I'm leaving."

He turned and started walking away.

She called back out to him, "If I ever see you again I will contact the authorities."

He called back. "Don't worry. I never want to see you again!"

The same person shushed them from the aisle over. Charlotte pointedly ignored he or she and shelved the last book in her hand.

Eliot however whipped his body around the corner and said, "If you shush me one more time I will hit you."

Parker just looked at Eliot. She was casually flipping through books. "This is a library. You're supposed to be quiet, that's what Sophie said." She pointed through the shelf to Charlotte on the other side. "You two can't argue in here."

Eliot made an exasperated growl and thought for a brief second about actually hitting her. Deciding against it he turned and started to walk out of the room passing by the same row where Charlotte had been.

"It's ok Eliot walk it off," Nate said over the com system.

Hardison interjected before Eliot could respond. "Was that Eliot being turned down by a girl? I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"It's okay Eliot it happens to the best of us," Sophie said reassuringly.

Eliot's anger was mounting. He had never been turned down by a girl, ever. Every single woman he had ever met had wanted him. Charlotte had dismissed and even threatened him without a single thought. Normally, he could talk himself out of a messy situation like he had been in or he could fight it out. But with the librarian Charlotte he could do neither.

"Look, if we had done the con how I had wanted to she would have been more than happy to show me those documents," he sounded like a madman talking to himself angrily.

"Eliot its fine that's why we have Plan B," Nate said, "and C, and D…" His voice trailed off. "But that's not important. What is important however is getting into the rare document collection."

Eliot was walking angrily out the front door of the library where he had come in from and climbed into the van where Nate was sitting in giving orders. He slammed the door shut with all of his pent of anger. He stuffed his glasses into his bag, took off his stupid loafers, stripped off the bowtie and sweater vest and took his hair out of the ponytail. Then he put on his leather jacket white the white stripes. He felt better; he felt more like himself.

Nate just looked at Eliot not saying anything. Eliot looked at him; his jaw clenched tightly, than he folded his arms and began to pout like a small child.

"If we had just done my con this would have never happened," he said clearly upset by the turn of events.

Nate clapped Eliot on the back of his shoulder. "It's okay, Eliot. It is only one girl."

"Shut up," Eliot said still sounding like a disgruntled child.

"Parker, will get her key card and you can bust some skulls and it'll all be good." Nate was trying to sound encouraging. "Sophie's across town making a move on Addison and Hardison can handle their computer system." He patted Eliot's shoulder. "You can hit some thug over the head later."

Eliot just grumbled under her breath.

**_TWO DAYS PRIOR, _****_MCRORY'S BAR, _****_5:30PM_**

An old timid man was sitting down at a booth at McRory's Bar and Pub in Boston, Massachusetts. His wild white hair was sticking up at random places; his suspenders were a bit too tight. He had on scholarly looking glasses and a full white mustache. He looked feeble like he might stop breathing at any moment. Nate was sitting opposite of him with Sophie next to him. Nate was sipping a glass of whiskey while Sophie toyed with her Diet Coke. The old man had nothing. He looked too worried to do anything.

"I wouldn't have come to you," he said his voice wheezy and old, "if I had any other alternative but I don't have any proof, only what I heard."

"What did you hear, Mr. Johansen?" Sophie asked gently.

"I work at The Boston Public Library in the special exhibits section." He paused taking a deep breath; well it was more of a wheeze. "I heard the President of the Board of Trustees talking to somebody. I don't know who." He paused again for air. "He was talking to his business partner about using the library to launder stolen pieces of manuscripts and documents, and even about," he shuddered, "passing off fakes as the real thing. The problem is he's taking the actual documents we have and selling them on the black market." He took a file folder out of his bag. "It was two photocopies of a land deed from the early 18th century. "See this one on the right," he pointed, "this is the original." He pointed to the one on the left. "This one is the fake."

Nate nodded his skills coming into play. "The ink quality is different," he said, "and the fading is off."

Mr. Johansen wheezed again. "I showed my other colleagues but it's impossible to prove who switched them." He paused. "The library is underfunded and understaffed. Something like this, if it got out would totally destroy us. We're underfunded and overstaffed enough as it is already." He wheezed giving it a dramatic pause. "The library could close permanently."

Nate took a swig of brandy. "Why couldn't you just go to the police with your suspicions? They can at least check it out."

Mr. Johansen wheezed again. "He's a lawyer, graduated from Harvard, and the head of a major corporation. He'll walk. He's got too much money." He paused again. "Who are they going to believe? Me, a low paid employee, or him?"

There was a long silence. Nate and Sophie exchanged a long glance. She finally turned back, reached out her hand, and placed them over Mr. Johansen's tightly clasped ones.

"Of course we'll help," she said reassuringly. "Won't we, Nate." It wasn't a question it was just a statement.

Nate wasn't quick to make a commitment. "We'll talk to our team and then we'll make our decision."

He took one finally swig from his glass and walked away. Sophie continued to smile warmly. Mr. Johansen just looked confused.

"Don't worry, Mr. Johansen, that's just Nate's funny way of saying yes."

**_TWO DAYS PRIOR, _****_LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS, _****_SAME NIGHT, _****_8:00PM_**

"Okay Hardison what do we know?" Nate asked sitting at the large table in the video room.

The team had all gathered for the reconnaissance that Hardison had gathered over the past few hours. Hardison was walking back and forth in front of them with his remote in hand to control the video. Sophie sat next to where Nate was standing; Parker was next to her, and then Eliot. Parker looked terribly excited, Eliot looked angry as usual, and Sophie had her expression blank.

"Okay, so," he began putting up a picture of the building, "the library was founded in 1848, by an act of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts, the Boston Public Library was the first large free municipal library in the United States…blah blah blah, nothing important."

Eliot gave him a look. Hardison ignored him.

"It's got over 6.1 million books, over 1.2 million rare books and manuscripts, a wealth of maps, musical scores and prints, which is a damn whole lot of books. I mean it has first edition folios by William Shakespeare, original music scores from Mozart to Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf;" and, in its rare book collection, the personal library of John Adams, which is pretty damn cool. I mean-"

Nate cleared his throat cutting him off.

"Tell us about the President of the Trustees, Hardison."

"Yeah, sure, um so this guy," He put up a picture of a very cubby, balding man with glasses. He looked very non threatening, "John Cunningham he's head of the board. So he is in charge of the money and policies that the library tries to enforce and use. So he has been using and enforcing a whole bunch of hinky stuff."

Parker snorted. Eliot sharply looked at her.

"He said hinky."

"What are you five?" he asked sharply.

She just looked innocently back at him. Eliot annoyed turned back to Hardison.

"Like I was saying hinky."

Parker snorted again. Eliot chose to ignore her this time. Now Nate, Sophie, and Hardison looked at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Can I continue?" he asked sounding exasperated. "New documents aren't required to be checked for legitimacy if approved by the Cunningham. Also, documents can be moved with his permission without anyone else having to approve it."

"That's the perfect way to funnel fake documents into a legitimate resource, much more reliable than an auction house." Sophie piped in. "He's controlling how everything is taken care of. He can make whatever he wants a real document and not a forgery."

Hardison nodded. "Yes but he's had help." He put up a picture of a very well dressed man. His eyes were bright blue and he had dark brown hair slicked back. He had a look of power and authority, "Meet Boris Addison, Cunningham's business partner of ten years and the one who is giving him fake documents and stolen ones to put into library circulation." Hardison paused. "As far as I can tell they have been doing this for about six years and have cost the library 10.3 million dollars, which has gone into their pocket."

Nate walked around the other side of the table to address the team; Hardison went to go sit down.

"So what where going to have to do is hit both of these guys separately and turn them against each other." He leaned his hands against the table looking at all of them.

"Two cons?" Sophie asked. "On two separate men, are you insane? You're asking for an improbability."

Nate ignored her. Hardison looked very confused; Parker looked extremely excited; Eliot looked angry as always; Sophie looked murderous.

"Let's go steal a library," Nate said standing up straight and walk away.

Sophie sighed. "I hate it when he does that."


	2. A Change of Plans

**Chapter Two – A Change of Plans**

**THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1:13PM**

"Parker, swipe Charlotte's key card," Nate said sipping a soda in the back of the van. "We have to get into the documents section.

Eliot just continued to glare from his position on the van floor.

"On it," Parker threw the book she had been flipping through behind her and made her way over to the circulation desk.

Charlotte was standing behind the large counter grabbing more books to shelve. Her ponytail swung back and forth gracefully as she picked up more and more books. Parker thought that she was nice enough so she would hate doing this. But it was a simple thought that ended. She would get to steal something again and it made her unbelievably giddy. She could feel the rush of adrenaline and thrill that it gave her. It was better than any drug and much more useful too. Parker walked behind the desk. Charlotte turned around and bumped into her, her hands full of books. Parker casually slipped her id card from the clip on her button down shirt.

Charlotte kept a tight grip on the novels she was holding and said, "I'm so sorry."

"No, it's my fault," she said in her fake cheery Parker voice.

Charlotte just smiled, looking a bit confused, and continued making her way to the book shelves. Parker held up her key card and smiled in triumph.

"Just like taking a bomb from a baby."

Eliot interjected from the van annoyance in his voice. He was still in a foul mood from just a few seconds ago.

"It's candy, Parker. Candy. Yah know like the kind you eat, lots of sugar, and it's bad for you?"

"Bombs are bad for you," she said simply.

Eliot just let out a frustrated sigh. Nate decided it was wise not to say anything.

**ACROSS TOWN, ADDIS CORPORATIONS, 1:15PM**

Sophie fixed her blazer as she waited in Boris Addison's office across town, briefcase in hand. Hardison had gotten her an appointment in the corporation as Vivian Monroe, the representative of clients who wanted to invest in Addis Corporations. It was a good cover. Greedy CEO's always liked it when people wanted to invest with them. They liked it when people sought them out and wanted them. They liked it even more when it came from an attractive woman. Corporations still fed on two of man's basic desires: sex and money. It was like the Roman Empire only this time there were quite a few emperors battling it out.

The building was one of those new ones, they were all the same. Multimillion dollar skyscrapers that never seemed to end that held companies that bought and sold stock all for the sake of giving out multibillion dollar paychecks to the CEO's.

The tower's busy footprint rises and culminates in an open frame dome and crown which is illuminated at night. The building originally was designed with a flat roof, but the Mayor disapproved so he chose the present roof out of a set of options the developer subsequently proffered. It is the newest and tallest building that dominated this side of Boston. It is an intimidating mix of steel and glass. The lobby interior consists of reflective black marble walls with finished wood paneling. It is powerful looking and masculine in all aspects. It is a place that few powerful women stepped into and fewer even worked in.

Sophie felt good about conning him. A man in his position did not need to funnel in fake and black market documents into the public library. It sounded like a sin.

She surveyed his office. It had large windows on the wall behind his desk, which faced the door. The desk itself was a massive oak work space with numerous drawers. Two high backed chairs faced the desk from the opposite side. The walls across from the desk were paneled with a dark wood. There was a coat stand and umbrella holder by the door against the wall. Metal bookcases held his numerous awards, impressive books, and certifications. He had a phone and computer, the newest available on his desk. The floor was tiled with a Persian area rug underneath the desk. It was a powerful room one that exuded masculinity and an ego to boot. It mirrored the building well, Sophie wondered if it mirrored the man.

There were pictures of a family; mother, son, daughter, but no father in them. Sophie wondered if the people in the photograph actually existed or whether Addison had just made them up. She hadn't remembered whether Hardison had said whether he had been married or not. She supposed she would find out soon enough.

She glanced down at her wrist watch. Addison was late. One minute late to be exact. She was just about to sigh when she heard the door open behind her. She liked this part the best. The mark would see her and be taken off guard; a pretty, attractive woman who seemed to be interested in him. It always gave her great pleasure every single time it happened. She could con anyone into anything by a simple flick of her hair and a smile.

Sophie turned around, flipped her hair, and smiled. Addison was a tall imposing man. His shoulders were broad but he was slim and trim. His dark brown hair was slicked back severely. His blue eyes were bright and cold. Sophie noted he didn't have a wedding ring. She was right the pictures were for show. He took off the jacket he was wearing; she had obviously cut his lunch break short, and looked Sophie up and down.

Sophie gazed intensely back. She wasn't going to let him intimidate her. But Sophie didn't see the shock or surprise come into his eyes like it normally did. She saw no wanting or desire come from him. He looked annoyed and peeved that she was here. She shook off the feeling that he didn't like her and focused on the task at hand.

"Mr. Addison," she held out her hand.

"Ms. Monroe," he shook it but he didn't hold on to it long.

"I see you got my proposition," she nodded her head in the direction of his desk. "Have you had time to adequately look it over?"

Addison walked around to his side of the desk and picked up the official looking document. It was about as official as a Google search, a search done by Hardison at three in the morning.

Sophie wasn't nervous. She knew it would pass inspection she had no doubts about Hardison. Addison still hadn't changed his expression.

"Yes," he said throwing the pamphlet back down on the desk, "and I must say Ms. Monroe, I'm highly-"

Sophie waited for him to say 'impressed'. She loved that word. She had loved it ever since she had been little and people had been 'impressed' with her acting skills, when people had been 'impressed' with her lying skills, and when people had been 'impressed' with her beauty. But Addison did not say that word. She said the word that she absolutely despised and loathed.

He said, "-disappointed."

**THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1:17PM**

Parker was on the third floor of the Johnson Building. It was where the library stored all of their rare documents and books. This had been so easy. All she had done was shown Charlotte's badge to the security guards and they had let her through no problem. She loved when she looked like a mark. The secretary in the offices on the McKim building hadn't even given her a second glance.

She went down the long hallway. It was windowless and the lights above gave an eerie glow to the hallway. Parker barely noticed though. She was so happy that she could barely breathe. She almost wished the con had been more difficult so that she could have tested out her new bungee jump. But, alas such things were not meant to be.

"You there, Parker?" Nate asked a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Yup," Parker replied ignoring the tone and pulled out Charlotte's card. She swiped the card through the magnetic reader and heard the familiar click that she loved all too well. "I'm in," she whispered.

She pulled open the door ever so slightly-

A strong forceful hand came out of nowhere and shoved the door shut again while the other hand grabbed Parker's wrist with the card in it. Parker turned towards her attacker, a bit annoyed at the turn of events.

Parker was thinking of all the ways she could get out of this situation. How many exits had there been? How many air ducts? What places on the body could she seriously hurt someone?

But all of that thinking stopped when she saw who had caught her. Her green eyes flashed violently and her strawberry blonde ponytail swung angrily back and forth. It was Charlotte Livingston.

"Um…Nate?" she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "We have a slight problem."

Charlotte was staring Parker down with brute force. Parker felt slightly intimidated something she hadn't felt in awhile.

"What the hell do you people want with my library?" she asked forcefully.

**ACROSS TOWN, ADDIS CORPORATIONS, 1:20PM**

Sophie didn't lose her cool outward demeanor. Addison was staring her down.

"Disappointed?" she quoted back raising her eyebrows.

"I wouldn't accept this offer even if I was bankrupt."

Sophie couldn't hide the shock from her face.

"Ex…excuse me?"

Sophie asked trying to keep the shock from her voice.

"This is an ill conceived plan, poorly thought out, and would never stand up in a real world scenario," he said quiet coolly.

"Well, why don't you meet my clients and come up with a better plan than the one the lawyers have put forth already?"

Sophie was trying to save the con. She knew she could. She had gotten out of worse scrapes before. She put her hands on the desk and leaned forward, down quite low, showing everything but yet nothing.

"Ms. Monroe," Addison said, "leave now or I will call security."

Sophie had lost. She couldn't believe it. How? This was an easy mark, a greedy self serving man who thought about no one but himself. He should have been falling all over her and here he was throwing her out. Sophie was upset with herself. She had done everything right. She had read him correctly.

She straightened up stiffly.

"Well, if you change your mind," she pulled a business card out of her jacket and placed it on his desk, "here's my card."

He didn't even look down at the business card. He just kept staring her down. Sophie finally turned and walked out of his office.

"Nate," she said quietly as she made her way down the hallway, "we have a problem."

**BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1:21**

Charlotte angrily walked down the steps of the Mezzanine level to the lobby of the library, her footsteps silent but angry. Her face was flushed with anger and her green eyes glinted dangerously. Parker was trying to keep up. Hardison saw Charlotte coming over to his post by the door to the special exhibits and tried to get out of the way of her wrath. She didn't even look at him much less stop her pace.

She pointed accusingly and said, "You. Here. _Now_."

It was a forceful and direct command one which Hardison obeyed immediately. He came up next to her matching his pace with hers. She continued walking across the expansive lobby. She was absolutely terrifying.

"Parker, what is going on," Nate asked hurriedly.

"Charlotte's gone crazy," she said simply.

"What?"

Hardison nodded and he and Parker exchanged a glance. "Dude, she is angry."

Eliot sat up straighter in the van. "Take her out, man."

Hardison sounded mortified. "You come take her out, Mr. I'm-sulking-cause-a-girl-turned-me-down. She's a woman! I am not taking out a girl okay?" He paused. "This is just because she turned you down isn't it?"

Eliot ignored the question but he sounded even more annoyed, if that was even possible. "You wouldn't have to hurt her. Just tackle her or something."

"I am not tackling her in a public place-"

Eliot started talking over him. "If you would just man up-"

They started arguing over each other. Nate was shaking his head in the van and Parker just had a small smile on her face. Charlotte turned around abruptly before the main entrance to the library. Cold winter sunlight was streaming in through the big glass doors. Her hair went from being blonde to an almost fiery red. Hardison and Parker almost ran into her. Hardison stopped talking immediately.

"You done arguing?" she asked coldly.

"…y…yes Ma'm."

She turned back around without a single word and walked into the cold winter day. Their breaths came out in little clouds before them. Parker and Charlotte's noses were turning pink just from the brief exposure. But none of them made any visible movement to the change in temperature.

Charlotte looked to her right and to her left. She spotted the van to her left and headed straight towards it. Her strides were short but quick. Parker and Hardison could barely keep up.

Hardison tried to stop her. "You don't wanna-"

But she cut him off as she angrily threw open the back door. Nate was sitting looking quite pleased with the turn of events a small smile on his face. Her eyes flashed to Eliot sitting on the floor. She grimaced at him and he grimaced back. She was angrier than she had ever been in her entire life. Her whole body was being pumped full of adrenaline. She hadn't even noticed the cold. Her hands were shaking with the powerful feel of it.

"Who are you? And what do you want with my library?"

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS, 2PM**

"So you're telling me that you're trying to save the library by stealing documents from it?" Charlotte asked the team incredulously.

She was sitting on the couch. The Leverage team was facing her. Eliot had his arms crossed menacingly, Parker had her hands on her hips, Hardison had his hands shoved deep into his pockets, Sophie had folded her hands in front of her, and Nate was just standing there looking very important. She didn't like it. She didn't like being made to sit while she was furious. She felt like a small child being reprimanded.

"You realize that sounds absolutely ridiculous right?"

Eliot murmured out the side of his mouth to Hardison. "You should have tackled her, man."

Hardison looked at him with disbelief. "Are you serious right now?" he asked sounding annoyed.

Eliot opened his mouth but was cut off by Charlotte.

"Listen, mister," she said standing up angrily and pointing her finger at him, "can you see why I'm a bit freaked out right now. You're telling me you're the good guys but you're trying to break in and steal rare and one of a kind documents, which I am in charge of. If what you say is true than you're going to make the library lose more money before you fix the problem."

Eliot was downright furious at her. This was the second time she had called him mister and he didn't like it. Why did she have such a vendetta against him anyway? He had been perfectly nice to her in the library, well for the most part. Something about her he didn't like but he just couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was the way she scrunched up her nose in disbelief, maybe it was the way she was subconsciously swinging her ponytail back and forth, and maybe it was just her personality was off putting. He didn't like the way she had assumed authority over him making him feel like a little kid again. He didn't like the way she had seen through his disguise immediately. Eliot considered himself very intelligent but here he had been outwitted by a librarian.

His scowl grew deeper on his face. Charlotte noted it and scowled back. Sophie saw the brief body exchange and realized Charlotte wasn't backing down and neither was Eliot. She realized it was going to get dangerous real quickly. She stepped in between them and gently grabbed Charlotte's shoulders setting her back down on the couch.

"Look," she said quietly sitting down next to her, "we all know how this may seem but this is what we do."

"You play Robin Hood for a living?" Charlotte asked with a sarcastic edge to her voice.

Sophie glanced up at Nate for a split second. "Something like that." She gently placed her hand on Charlotte's knee. "I know this is quite a bit for you to take in right now. If we were actually bad people-"

"-you'd be dead by now." Eliot finished her sentence, his voice sounding menacing and low.

Charlotte glared at him. He just glared back. Sophie shot him a warning look that was completely lost to him. He was too busy trying to gain dominance over Charlotte. It wasn't working.

Sophie brought Charlotte's attention back to her. Her voice was soft compared to the rough baritone of Eliot's voice.

"Mr. Johansen hired us."

Charlotte's head snapped back to her and she looked incredulously at Sophie. "Denis spoke to you?"

Nate spoke up now. "He came a few days ago and explained the whole situation. We agreed to help."

Charlotte paused surveying all of them. "You realize how perfectly insane this all sounds right?" She looked back to Sophie. "I don't believe you."

Sophie removed her hand from her knee and gently touched her hand. "Would you like to discuss this with Mr. Johansen?"

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS, 5PM**

Eliot was standing against the main table in front of the large TV screen his arms folded across his chest. From here he had a perfect view of Nate's living room. He was watching Charlotte talking quietly to the small old man. Her movements were gentle and her voice was low. She obviously cared for him. It was odd seeing this side of her. He had only seen her as a professional and when she was angry. But here she was concerned. She looked caring and compassionate. He looked at her face. He noted how her nose scrunched up when Mr. Johansen was saying something important. He saw her guarded eyes and facial expressions. Her hair was still up in a ponytail but her bangs had escaped and framed her round face as she continued listening to the old man.

Eliot tried to think of the last time he had really studied someone like this. Men he sized up right away. He had to formulate attack plans and soft spots, but women he couldn't recall the last time he had studied them for other than their body. The only name that could come to mind was Aimee but he quickly stopped that train of thought as soon as it started. He had abandoned all thoughts and longings for her two years ago. He didn't think about her with longing and want like he had before. He just compared her to every other woman that didn't quite fit the mold he wanted. He had never gotten the chance to really use that now until Charlotte had showed up. Sure he made women feel like they were the only person he could possible care about. Sure he could make them feel secure and safe not thinking that he might leave at any moment. But no women had ever really had the same effect on him.

That was until this small insignificant librarian had turned him down today. There was something different about her and he couldn't quite figure out why.

She was definitely interesting. He had a hard time reading her reactions to things as evidenced by him being surprised about her turning him down. She had seemed like any other nerdy girl that he had encountered while on a job. She was work orientated and career driven. She wasn't used to guys coming up and hitting on her. He looked her up and down one more time. Or maybe she was. She was the type of woman that most confident men would go for. She was attractive and self confident. She didn't exude sexuality though. She was just herself. She wasn't the type of girl Eliot normally went for.

Sophie had set up a pot of tea and cups for them. Charlotte carefully poured Mr. Johansen's tea for him and fixed it without even asking what he wanted. She then made herself a cup. Eliot watched her tiny hands move and the withdrawn look and attitude in her eyes. She was thinking but just what about he wasn't sure.

"Dude, will you stop creepily staring at her," Hardison said coming out of nowhere a bottle of orange soda in his hand. "I know she's pretty and all but damn!"

Eliot shot him a dirty look and stood up straight abruptly.

"I'm not staring at her!" He stormed out of the room and yelled back at him, "Dammit Hardison."

"Sure you weren't," he replied smugly taking a gulp from the bottle.

Charlotte didn't notice the commotion she was too focused on her boss, mentor, and friend.

"But Denis are you sure?" she asked handing him the delicate tea cup.

His hands were shaking so badly that she had to gently place his long bony fingers around the porcelain cup.

"As sure as I can be, my dear," he wheezed out and took a sip.

Charlotte leaned in closer whispered quietly to him.

"I think these are ex-conmen. I'm not sure-"

He stopped drinking abruptly almost chocking cutting her off.

"Charlotte, I hope so. The bad guys make for the best good guys." He paused as he studied the look on her face. "Look at our country, my dear. The British call us rebels, we call ourselves Patriots." He wheezed heavily. "You understand?"

Charlotte unwilling nodded. "Just next time," she said gently touching his knee, "let me handle things like this. I don't want you to put yourself in danger."

The old man thought about it for a while before responding. "Someone needs to look after you as well." He paused. "But alright next time I will come to you first."

She smiled and said, "Thank you, Denis. And I don't need anyone to look after me. I can take care of myself, you know that."

He took another sip of tea. "I know. But I worry about you."

She shook her head and said, "Well, you shouldn't. I'm quite capable of handling anything."

"Quite right," he said wheezing again, "as is evidenced by you fully investigating this team and making sure they aren't going to steal the library's money."

She smiled. "Exactly."

Mr. Johansen tried to place his tea cup back down on the coffee table but his hands were shaking too badly. Charlotte carefully took the cup and placed it back on the saucer. He slowly stood up to leave.

"Well, my dear," he said glancing at his wrist watch, "I best be off. They're going to start wondering if I died if I don't show up to take over your shift soon." He hobbled over to the door and tried putting on his coat that was there on the coat hanger. Charlotte helped him into it. She smoothed out the folded fabric and buttoned up the heavy wool coat for him. "But trust these people otherwise we have no other alternative than to shut down the library."

"Denis let me go get you a taxi," she said concerned about the old man. "Or at least help you down the stairs."

But he waved her off. "I'm perfectly fine Charlotte. See you tomorrow," he said.

He went out and Charlotte stood there for a few moments staring at the shut door. The library really didn't have any other alternative. She didn't like this not one bit. But what else could she do? Mr. Johansen had always been a great judge of character. He could read people in an instant. Charlotte struggled to understand people's immediate reactions and wants. She was going to have to trust his judgment or otherwise think about closing the library's doors forever. She didn't like asking complete strangers for help. It gave her a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach, especially when these strangers seemed to know more about the bad guys than how to be good guys.

She slowly walked back over to the couch and began slowly picking up the tea things and clearing them away to put in the kitchen. Sophie came out of nowhere. She was changed out of her business suit and was in a pair of nice pants and a simple blue long sleeved shirt.

"Here, I'll do that for you," she said quietly.

Charlotte stopped putting the dishes in the sink and turned to her abruptly.

"I believe you guys." Sophie didn't even look startled. "I don't trust you but I believe you." Sophie opened her mouth to say something but Charlotte cut her off. "I'll let you go through with the con but I want to be involved every step of the way. I want to make sure you aren't going to double cross Denis." She paused. "The library is all that he has left and if he loses it he loses everything."

Sophie paused for a small second.

"Okay," she said quietly. "Let's talk to Nate."

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS, 5:15PM**

The whole team was assembled again but this time they were all sitting down. Eliot was in his normal sprawled out position on the left side of the couch. Parker was perched on the arm of the chair Hardison was lounging in. Sophie was sitting very prim like next to Eliot and Nate was standing behind the couch. Charlotte was standing in front of them now giving a lecture like she might to visiting students or interns.

"First, I've talked to Denis," she said trying to tuck her bangs behind her ear. "It seems that this is what you actually do for a living."

"Glad you believe us now," Hardison said sarcastically.

Sophie shot him a look. "Yes," she said in a warning tone. She turned her attention back to Charlotte, "we're very glad you got everything straightened out."

"Second, you went about conning these men wrong."

Eliot looked like he was about to punch her.

Hardison said, "Hold up, now."

Parker frowned and crossed her arms in a very childlike fashion. "I thought it was a good plan," she said pouting.

Nate got very flustered. "W...wait a minute the con was very good-"

Sophie seemed unsurprised by this statement.

"It was," Charlotte said cutting Nate off. "Except you didn't read these men correctly. "He," she said nodding in Eliot's direction, "should have gone after Addison and Sophie," she nodded towards her, "should have conned Cunningham. Addison doesn't believe that women are good for anything other than sex and Cunningham loves a pretty helpless girl."

Eliot stood up suddenly and turned his full attention on Nate ignoring Charlotte.

"That was my plan!" he exclaimed angrily pointing at Charlotte. "That was what I said we should have done!"

There was a dead silence as he angrily stood there.

Nate finally said, "Well, I guess we should have gone with your plan huh Eliot?"

Eliot sat back down still furious and crossed his arms. "Yes we should have."

"That way he wouldn't have been turned down for the first time in his life," Hardison said trying to suppress a laugh.

Eliot stood up so quickly that Charlotte took a step back. Eliot's movements were screaming anger.

"Dammit Hardison!"

"I'm going…I'm leaving right now," Hardison said awkwardly standing up slowly and pointing at Eliot.

It was like he was moving slowly in front of angry bear that had just woken up out of hibernation. Eliot made a charge at him and started chasing him around the room. They started arguing as they ran each throwing insults and jabbing remarks at each other.

"Do they do this often?" Charlotte asked over the noise of their fight.

Nate and Sophie exchanged a glance.

"Not….really…." Nate said.

"Not all the time." Sophie backed him up.

Parker knocked both of their statements down by saying, "At least once a day."


	3. The Con

**Chapter Three – The Con**

**ADDIS CORPORATIONS, FOLLOWING DAY, 12:45 PM**

Eliot felt ridiculous, again. He had Nate, Sophie, Parker, and Hardison buzzing around in his head just like yesterday. His hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, again. But this time he was in a three piece charcoal grey suit with a somber black tie and white shirt. He was also wearing his clear framed modern looking glasses. He had a briefcase in one hand and a blackberry in the other, a blackberry that he didn't know how to use. He had never been good with technology.

Parker stood beside in a suit jacket and a pencil skirt. Her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail. Her face was framed with severe black framed glasses. She was carrying a notebook with a pencil which she was nervously chewing on.

Parker was mumbling to herself repeatedly.

"Will you shut up," Eliot whisper yelled to her.

Parker was standing slightly behind in him in the elevator. She snapped her mouth shut and stood up on her tiptoes angrily to whisper yell back.

"I just don't understand how she knew I swiped her card," she said angrier than Eliot had sounded. "It was the perfect lift. She shouldn't have known."

"Drop it, Parker," he grunted back annoyed. "You've been going on about this the entire day."

"I will not drop it! She shouldn't have known." She paused and looked at him suspiciously. "You didn't tell her did you?"

"Why would I tell her?" he asked his voice still in a whisper shout.

"You definitely told her. Why would you do that?" She went back down on her heels and went back to chewing on her pencil. "It doesn't make any sense." She went back to mumbling to herself.

"It doesn't make sense because I didn't tell her, Parker!" he exclaimed his voice rising to a full shout.

Before she could retort the elevator made a ping sound and the doors opened. Eliot smoothed over his facial features and returned to facing the front. Parker returned to her normal body position as well behind him. Eliot walked out his shoes making a dominating sound on the tile floor as he walked down the hallway. Parker tried to make herself look meek behind him. It was a bit harder than she had remembered it being.

"Now remember Parker do not stab the man with a fork if he hits on you this time," he growled.

"Look I do it without thinking. It's like being angry for you."

Eliot turned his head and glared at her. Parker just smiled back. As they walked down the hallway Eliot formulated his approach. He would come off slightly slow but honest and trustworthy. It was a part he played well and one he wished he had actually played in real life. Parker meanwhile was counting air ducts, shafts, windows, and doorways. She was noting exit strategies and ways make a quick entrance. Things that she deemed important to her were the farthest from Eliot's mind right now.

Eliot and Parker reached the waiting area for Addison's office. The secretary wasn't paying much attention to them as they stood in front of her. She was too busy typing furiously on her computer. Parker looked annoyed as she stood there her lips tight.

Eliot cleared his throat and said in the thickest Texan accent he could muster, "Excuse me, Ma'm."

The secretary immediately stopped typing and looked up at him. She flushed a pretty shade of pink when she saw Eliot standing there. Parker snorted and Eliot discretely elbowed her in the stomach. Parker made a face behind his back. The secretary didn't notice but Eliot could feel it burning into the back of his skull.

"…um…uh…hi…" she said fumbling for words. "How can I help you?"

"I have a meeting with Mr. Addison at 1."

"Your…your name, sir?"

"Josiah Crockett, Ma'm from the Lyondell Chemical Company from Houston, Texas." He gave a small nervous smile. "I hope we're not here too late."

"Oh no Mr. Crockett, you're here just in time." She fumbled for the phone. "Let me just let Mr. Addison know that you are both here."

"Sure, Ma'm we'll just wait over here."

Parker and Eliot went to stand over by the large windows that overlooked the sprawling Boston streets below. It was snowing again something it seemed to always do now that it was December. And it made the sky dark and grey. Snow just seemed to pile upon snow making the ground completely white again. Yellow taxis and black cars were somewhat stuck between all the snow.

"This would be so much fun to repel down," Parker whispered a huge smile on her face.

Eliot jerked his head to her. "We are not exiting the building that way Parker."

She began mumbling to herself again. "Maybe I'll come back later tonight to do it."

"You repel down buildings for fun?" Eliot asked incredulously.

"Of course," Parker replied shocked. "What do you do?" She was obviously surprised that he didn't do the same thing.

Eliot knew it was better not to reply and just shook his head and looked angry; a normal response to Parker's crazy antics. Eliot didn't want to let on how attached he was of her and how fond. It could lead to serious complications when this whole Team ended. It was one reason why Eliot liked to work alone. Of course it saved him from having to clean up other people's mistakes but it also saved him from having to clean up his own emotions.

The secretary called across the room. "Mr. Crockett," she gave a small smile, "you can go in now."

"Thank you, Ma'm." Eliot nodded and smiled to the young woman.

"Will you stop calling her, Ma'm?" Charlotte's voice sounded annoyed over the ear piece. "It's a bit obnoxious."

Eliot growled. "I still don't understand why she has to be over the intercom," he said directing his comment to Nate.

"It's because she knows these men better than we do," Nate replied.

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS**

Charlotte was sitting next to Hardison watching the big screen TVs that showed the exact movements of each of the Leverage team. He had Eliot and Parker from the inner feed of the Addis Corporations building. Sophie was on the 4th floor of the library waiting to meet with Cunningham. Nate was sitting in the van outside the library waiting for his next move.

"And she wouldn't let us help unless she was involved," Sophie said responding as well to Eliot's question.

"They know I can hear them right?" she whispered to Hardison.

He opened his mouth to respond but Eliot cut him off.

"Unfortunately," he growled.

Charlotte rolled her eyes to Hardison. He just smiled and handed her his bottle of orange soda. Charlotte took a swig and leaned back in her chair as Hardison placed his feet up on the table.

**BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY**

Sophie tapped her foot impatiently on the wooded floor of the McKim building. Her hair was swept into a loose bun at the nap of her neck. She was in a tiny black dress with a red belt. She had expensive pearls around her neck which she had conned from an old man several years ago. Red she knew exuded power and confidence which is what she needed to show when she met with Cunningham. He was the submissive partner in his dealings with Addison. She didn't have a purse but a briefcase with some documents to prove her authenticity.

It really wasn't that hard of a con. It was the same one she had tried to pull on Addison. But this was guaranteed to work. Then again so was the last one and she knew how that turned out. She placed her bangs behind her left ear and forced herself to stop tapping her foot. The elevator door pinged and out walked Cunningham. He was wearing a charcoal grey suit with a strikingly red tie. He was already sweating profusely already and his glasses slipped down his nose as he stepped out.

"You must be Ms. Marino," he said reaching forward and shaking her hand.

It was warm and sweaty. Sophie shook it and tried not to notice.

"Please call me Rosaleen," she said with a slight Boston accent. It had the assertiveness of the Kennedy family and the class of Martha Stewart. "Thanks for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice."

"I'm John not Mr. Cunningham," he said taking out a handkerchief and wiping his face. "And of course anything for my old friend's cousin. You know I have not seen him since Harvard," he said smiling as he let go of her hand.

Sophie restrained herself from wiping her hand off on her dress and smiled. "Well I'll tell Joseph to phone you later this week."

Cunningham gestured down the hallway a bit nervous in Sophie's presence "Well, why don't we go to my office and have a look at some of the documents."

Sophie followed him down the hallway her steps echoing powerfully. She smiled this is how the con was supposed to go originally and she loved it.

**ADDIS CORPORATIONS**

Eliot and Parker were standing in front of Addison's desk with the large windows behind casting a gray appearance over the entire room. It was like what Sophie had said, a room belonging to an emperor or head of state. It was most certainly not that of CEO.

Addison had been sitting in his desk but stood up when Eliot and Parker entered the room. His dark brown hair was slicked back as it always was. He was in a black suit with a black tie and white undershirt. He was well over six feet, dwarfing both Parker and Eliot. He held out his hand at shook it with Eliot's hand. He had a powerful grip and Eliot had to control himself to make his handshake weaker. He had to show that he was the easygoing gullible type and he knew he could just show this through a handshake. Addison assessed the man and woman before him. The man was unimpressive and seemed to be the man they sent to someone as himself because he could control him. He gave a small smile. Addison liked that the company had read him as the aggressive alpha male. It would make this transaction much easier. He looked the girl up and down. She looked like the intelligent one with her notepad and pencil. Her dark framed glasses almost dwarfed her face but Addison could see she was pretty. He was also glad the company sent her. He could stare at her while this idiot talked.

He had already made up his mind about letting the company invest in his corporation. It had good qualifications and its growth over the past twenty years was almost unbelievable. It would be a long time before it saw any decrease in sales which meant there would be a long time for him to use their money however he saw fit.

"Tell me why I should let your company invest with me, Mr. Crockett," Addison said motioning for him to sit in the large chair.

Eliot did so a bit awkwardly as Addison moved around to the other side of the desk. Parker stood behind Eliot's right shoulder.

"Eliot," Hardison said over the ear piece, "make sure you keep your blackberry pointed at his computer. I can hack most of it remotely but I'm going to need Parker to plug the flash drive I gave her at some point."

Eliot adjusted how he had his blackberry sitting on his knee as he placed his briefcase next to him. He fumbled with the clasp and took out an official folder with his documents in it. He placed it on Addison's desk. It looked tiny compared to the large imposing piece of furniture.

Eliot cleared his throat like he had rehearsed this speech many times before.

"Lyondell Chemical Company is the third largest independent chemical manufacturer in the United States. Since its establishment in 1985 from facilities belonging to the Atlantic Richfield Company, the company grew through stock swaps with Occidental Chemicals and Millennium Chemicals in 1997 which formed Equistar Chemicals of which each entity were partners. Our company-"

Addison cut him off obviously already knowing about the company.

"-purchased the outstanding shares from each of its partners to gain total control of Equistar which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lyondell. In 2004, Lyondell purchased Millennium Chemicals in a stock-swap deal at $2.3 billion. In August, 2006, Lyondell acquired Citgo's interest in the Lyondell-Citgo Refinery for $2.1 billion, and renamed the facility Houston Refining. Lyondell operated in five continents employing over 11,000 people. Lyondell became LBI in 2007 when it was purchased by Basell Polyolefins. It is the global leader in propylene oxide production and the largest North American supplier of styrene monomer. Your other products include ethylene, ETBE, polyethylene, and polypropylene." He paused and gave a small slow smile. "It's also very profitable."

**BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY**

Cunningham nervously pushed his glasses up his nose. His bald head was sweaty and shinny as he peered over Sophie's documents that she was donating. They were standing in his office and it was in stark contrast to Addison's. Sophie wasn't really sure where to stand. It was tiny, cramped, dark, and uninviting. There were two small windows behind his desk. There was a pitiful light flickering overhead above a small cluttered desk. There was nothing on the walls; no bookcases, no pictures, nothing that would describe the man that occupied this space. This was the office of a man who was not in control of anything but was the man who was submissive and did the grunt for other people. Sophie wondered if this is how his home looked.

"This is really quite an impressive list Rosaleen." His eyes scanned quickly down. "1607 Cornelis van Wytfliet's Norvmbega et Virginia. 1674 Dutch New-York: Allard's Totius Neobelgii Nova. 1676 John Speed's Map of Virginia and Maryland . 1775 Map of the Most Inhabited Part of New England. 1776 Jefferys American Atlas: The Best of the Century. 1776 Holster Atlas. 1777 Map of Philadelphia with View of Independence Hall." He paused his voice coming out a bit hoarse. "And these are just the maps?"

"Yes," Sophie replied giving a small smile. "My grandfather was very fond of maps. Anything pre-colonial he absolutely adored actually."

"Any of these would be a great addition to the library's collection," he said giving a small smile back. He straightened up after leaning over his desk to look at the list. "I'll have to of course look at them before they go into the library's permanent archives."

"I can bring them over tomorrow if you like." She gave a small smile back. "We're trying to move his things as quickly as possible so that we can sell his estate. What time would you like me over?"

"How does noon sound?"

"Perfect." She paused before continuing. "Which means that you can show me where my grandfather's documents are going to be kept. I want to be sure they're going to be looked after well."

**ADDIS CORPORATIONS**

"I'm glad you're familiar with our company, Mr. Addison." Eliot stammered a bit in his speech.

"I am very familiar, Mr. Crockett. And I am happy to let Lyondell invest in Addis Corporations." He smiled. "Very happy."

Hardison said annoyed over the ear piece, "Parker, the flash drive."

"My assistant, Nancy, can show you our five year plan on your computer if you wish." Eliot motioned to Parker who looked confused for a split second but covered it well as she held up the flash drive. "If that's okay with you that is," he said directing the comment towards Addison.

"Oh that's more than fine," Addison said flashing a smile.

Parker walked over and knelt down plugging in the flash drive into Addison's hard drive.

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS**

"It has to be left in for at least a minute, Parker," Hardison said as he clicked madly away on his computer. "I'm hacking the computer internally and wirelessly so I'm going to need time."

Charlotte watched mesmerized as Hardison began hacking his way through Addison's computer.

"Impressed?" he asked teasingly.

She closed her mouth, crossed her arms, and leaned back in her chair.

"Not really," she replied shrugging.

There was what sounded like a dog growling over the ear piece. Charlotte looked at Hardison confused but he just kept clicking away at his computer.

"That was just Eliot telling us to shut up," Hardison said unfazed by the noise. "He can't think when too many people talk over these things. It hurts when he has to think."

Eliot growled again. Charlotte shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Hardison added, "He can't hit us so he has to growl."

Charlotte tried to stifle a laugh, unsuccessfully.

**ADDIS CORPORATIONS**

Meanwhile, Parker had been showing Addison the five year plan while Addison was just checking her out.

Eliot looked furious that Addison was looking at Parker's ass but it was mostly the annoying voice of Charlotte sounding in his head. He just wanted her to shut up. If she couldn't stand him why did she keep making comments? Why did she keep provoking him? Why was she involved with his end of the con at all? It was Sophie she should be more concerned about. Sophie was the one actually in the library not him. Sophie was the one funneling fake documents and black market items. He just wanted her to go away and never look back.

Parker was trying her hardest to ignore the urge to stab Addison with the silver pen knife on his desk. She was smiling through a tight mouth as she showed him page after page of the financial plans. She was going to need an adrenaline rush after this or anything really to get her mind off of Addison. And stabbing him with a pen knife seemed like a great idea.

Hardison came back on over the com system just in time. Eliot noticed Parker had been eying the pen knife a bit too often for his liking.

"Okay I've hacked it," Hardison said.

Parker pulled the flash drive out of Addison's computer quicker than Eliot could blink. Addison looked a bit confused for a second.

Eliot tried to cover as best as he could. "I think that's all Nancy wanted to show you." He gave Parker a glare and she just made a face behind Addison's back.

Addison recovered quickly as well. "It looks good to me," he said. "But just answer me one question, Mr. Crockett." There was a long pause as Parker moved her way back to the other side of the desk and stood behind Eliot's chair. "What does Lyondell want from Addis Corporations?"

Eliot said the next part like he had been waiting for the question.

"Well I think it would push our company's image from being a drug company to being involved with our communities. You do so much for the Boston area with the Library and the Historical Society and we want to be a part of that."

Addison smiled. Eliot thought he looked like a cat that ate the canary and he knew this is what Addison had wanted to hear. The scam he had run so many times never grew old. Companies didn't know he was cheating them out of millions of dollars until it was too late and he could blame it on the economy. It was perfect and it gave him a sense of satisfaction whenever it happened. Addison held out his hand for Eliot to shake.

"Sounds like we have a deal, Mr. Crockett."

Eliot grabbed Addison's hand and gave it a hard shake.

"You won't be disappointed, Sir."

Eliot smiled thinking about the irony of it all.

**BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY**

"Thank you so much for agreeing to take my grandfather's documents, John."

Sophie was standing in front of the grand staircase the December sun shining on her back. She looked like a well an upper class Bostonian and she felt like it. She was back on her game. She knew how to play Cunningham and it made her feel in control again.

"Like I said Rosaleen really the pleasure is mine."

They shook hands again and this time his hand was considerably less clammy.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," she said giving a small smile and walking out the door as Nate was walking in.

"He's hooked," Nate said into Sophie's ear.

"He was hooked the moment he laid eyes on me. I can get him to kill his mother if you like," she replied smiling as she continued walking out the door.

Nate hid the smile that he felt trying to be exposed. He had a briefcase in one hand and a few folders in the other. He walked right past Cunningham who was just leaving to go out the back door and straight to the reception desk.

Nate put on his best sleazy insurance collector voice and said quite loudly to the girl behind the counter, "I'm here to see Mr. Cunningham."

Cunningham turned around quickly.

"I'm…John Cunningham," he sputtered out.

Nate waved off the librarian who was about to open her mouth to say something to him. Nate held out his hand as he walked over and kept walking as he headed up the staircase.

"Mr. Cunningham," he said letting go of his hand and talking fast, "I'm from the insurance company. I'm here for the-"

Cunningham nervously cut him off. "I'm sorry and your name is…?" he asked his voice trailing off at the end.

"Tennet. Matthew Tennet." Nate continued without even letting Cunningham get a word in edge wise. "I'm just here to make sure your claim for every new piece of artwork or literature is authentic and worth what it's worth. I mean look at the list of things you're claiming to have." He flipped open the folder in his hand and started listing things. "The newly acquired Tennyson letters, Felicani Sacco and Vanzetti Correspondence, Lane and Mead Maritime Maps-"

They had reached the top of the stairs now and Cunningham was searching for words to cut him off.

"Mr. Tennet I don't think today is a good day-"

Nate clapped him on the back cutting off the words in his throat. "Of course not today, Mr. Cunningham. I'll be back on Friday to check everything out. I have to give you a heads up first. Regulations and all."

He closed the folder and walked back down the stairs.

At the bottom he turned back and called out, "See you Friday," with a slight smile.

Cunningham stood at the top watching him walk away. He couldn't say anything he couldn't think. He nervously pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and took out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat he was producing on top of his bald head. He couldn't have the insurance company poking around in the documents. They would find out that most of them were fake and stolen. He would lose his job but worst of all Addison would no longer be his friend. He would be his enemy.

Cunningham shakily walked down the steps home. He couldn't stand being in the library anymore. Should he or shouldn't he tell Addison? The decision could cost him his career and in turn his life. He felt sick to his stomach.

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS**

Charlotte and Hardison were watching all of this from their comfortable positions in Nate's apartment.

"So how long before he calls Addison?" Nate asked Charlotte as he walked back to the van.

"Sometime tonight. They always call each other every night. And when I say that I mean Cunningham freaks out and calls him," she replied still looking at what Hardison was pulling up from Addison's computer.

Hardison stopped typing to look at her. "He does what now?" he asked unbelievingly.

She chose to ignore him. "So we just have to wait until he freaks out."

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS, 11:45PM**

Charlotte glared at Nate.

"He is not driving me home," she said angrily.

The team had all been waiting for Cunningham to call Addison and he hadn't. It could only mean he was really spooked and wanted the right approach to tell Addison. The plan had worked but now there was an unspoken fear that it had worked too well. But Charlotte wasn't convinced to leave for the night. She wasn't convinced to leave when Parker had left. She wasn't convinced to leave when Hardison did. But now she had no other choice and she wasn't happy about it. She had to be at work tomorrow and she wanted to be home before midnight. And Nate was making it even worse.

Nate was trying to show how logical the solution was. It was late at night and although McRory's bar was not in a shady place it was easy to get lost and cabs were hard to come by this late. It was also snowing hard again and he didn't trust Hardison to drive in this weather.

"You've had a long day," he said as he sat on the arm of the chair facing Charlotte.

"I'd rather walk. It's not that far." Charlotte stood up. "I'll be fine Nate, honestly."

Sophie meanwhile wasn't even reasoning with Eliot. She was just using her powers of persuasion also known as Neuro-linguistic Programming. She had used it before on Eliot and she was quite sure she could use it again without him knowing. He was sitting in front of the large screen watching football, which one Sophie wasn't sure. She never understood why American's called it football and why they preferred it so much over soccer or rugby. Sophie walked in from the living room and leaned on the table next to him.

"It's very nice that Charlotte staid so late to help with the con especially after all of us giving off a terrible first impression."

Eliot gave a noncommittal grunt.

"She really is very _driven_," she gently touched his arm, "and she is so far from _home_." Sophie squeezed it gently.

Eliot grunted again.

Sophie just flipped her hair and walked away like she had never even had the conversation with Eliot. He just continued to stare at the TV in front of him watching the Giants and Patriots in the 3rd quarter. The game had started significantly late because of a snow delay. He didn't even like either team but it was good to see guys hitting each other on the field.

Nate suddenly called to Eliot from the living room. He ignored it at first. He could hear Nate's angry footsteps as he came out of nowhere and turned off the TV.

"Hey I was watching that!" he exclaimed trying to grab the remote back from his hand. He sounded like a kid who had gotten his TV time cut short.

"It's being recorded you can watch it later," Nate said unfazed by his outburst.

"I don't want to watch it later I want to watch it now," he said making a move to grab the remote out of Nate's hand, again.

Nate jerked the remote back and said, "No you want to take Charlotte home…_now_."

Eliot's anger shot through the roof. He glanced to her on the couch. She was sitting there arms crossed obviously not happy with this arrangement. Her freckles stood out more on her skin from the dark light outside and her red hair framed her face just so. She saw him give a glance at her and if it was possible she glared even harder at him.

He shifted his attention back to Nate. "I am not taking her home," Eliot growled out.

"She can't walk home. It's late and you know the kind of people that live here."

"It's Boston not Paris!" Nate gave him a look. "It's a very dangerous city, okay." Eliot crossed his arms in front of him. He was looking as dangerous as he sounded. "She can take a cab home."

"At this time of night?" Nate asked lowering his arm with the remote.

"Make Hardison take her."

Nate gave him another look. Something was bugging Eliot in the back of his mind. It wouldn't be a bad idea to take Charlotte home. He probably should. A woman like her shouldn't take a cab or walk home at this time of night. Especially, since she wasn't sure where she was. It would be the right thing to do.

"Okay, I understand bad idea. Fine. I'll take her home."

Eliot went and grabbed his jacket off of the table and walked over to stand in front of Charlotte. He put on his jacket quickly and shoved his fingerless gloves on. Charlotte just glared at him. It was strange seeing him in jeans and a blue button down shirt with a white undershirt poking through. It made his eyes stand out more against his dark hair. She supposed he was good looking but she didn't understand why they had sent him in to seduce her. Apparently he was used to being able to make any woman swoon. But she just couldn't see the appeal of him honestly. He was angry all the time and his lips went into a thin line when it happened. And he just assumed that she wanted him. She didn't like that he wanted to be in control and she basically had no say in what she did. Maybe some women liked that but to Charlotte he just reminded her of her family, which she didn't like at all.

"Come on," he said gruffly, "I'm taking you home."

"You are most certainly not, kiddo."

"Will you stop calling me that?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"When you stop acting like you're five I'll consider it."

"I never act like I'm five," he said quite loudly.

Charlotte gave him an incredulous look.

He ignored it. "Get up and get your coat. I'm taking you home."

"I will get up and I will put on my coat but you are not taking me home."

Charlotte stood up and went to walk pass Eliot but he grabbed her arm. Charlotte's head shot up and glared angrily at him.

"Look if I don't take you home Sophie and Nate will kill me."

His voice was a little softer now. He was hoping if it sounded like he was pleading it would work better.

Charlotte wasn't buying it and jerked her arm angrily out of his grasp. "Does it look like I care?"

**ELIOT'S TRUCK, 11:50PM**

Charlotte was sitting in the passenger seat of Eliot's Silver Chevy Silverado staring listlessly outside the window. She didn't even want to think about how she had even ended up here. She didn't like the idea that she had been persuaded by either Nate or Eliot, but especially Eliot. The truck was just the type of car Eliot would have; big, flashy, and masculine. She had buttoned up her pea coat all the way up to her chin and had on a green scarf and black leather gloves. She was shivering slightly. It was 11o outside and it chilled her to the bone. Eliot was sitting there looking perfectly unaffected by the cold.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed hitting his palm against the steering wheel.

Charlotte wasn't even startled by his outburst. But just turned and calmly looked at him.

"Sophie used her mind hypnosis suggestion crap on me," he growled looking at her questioning face. "I knew I was persuaded too easily into taking you home."

Charlotte just shook her head and ignored him.

He hit his hand on the steering wheel again and began to mutter murderous things under his breath. He obviously wasn't happy about this turn of events. Eliot didn't like being tricked. But at least he was in good company because Charlotte wasn't too happy about it either. She had just wanted to walk home by herself and not let anyone from the team know where she lived. Obviously this wasn't going to happen.

Charlotte just went back to staring out the window and ignored Eliot the rest of the way back to her apartment building.

LEVERAGE LEVERAGE LEVERAGE LEVERAGE

Eliot parked his truck outside on the street outside her apartment building on Gloucester Street.

"See you tomorrow, mister." She unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car.

She dropped a full foot in height. The truck was much higher off the ground than what she had originally remembered when she had climbed in. Eliot turned off the truck and got out as well. Charlotte stood there next to the open door watching Eliot through the truck as he stepped out of his vehicle.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked an edge in her voice.

"Walking you up to your apartment," he replied meeting her glare.

"I don't think so, kiddo. Just because you drove me home does not give you a free pass to anything else." She slammed the car to emphasize her point and moved to stand in front of his truck crossing her arms. "Get in the car and go home."

Eliot slammed his truck door and crossed his arms as well.

"I'm walking you to your apartment in case something happens."

"I told you _no_," she said pointedly.

"I'm going to walk you to your apartment _with_ or _without_ your permission," he growled out.

**CHARLOTTE'S APARTMENT, 12:04AM**

Charlotte and Eliot didn't say a word as they walked into the apartment. They didn't say a word on the elevator ride up. And they definitely did not say a word as they walked down Charlotte's door. Charlotte suddenly stopped in front of door 401 on the left. She pulled out her key from her pocket and turned to face Eliot. He had his hands shoved deep into his jean pockets but he was obviously not moving.

Charlotte was about to tell him to leave when the door across from Charlotte's apartment opened up. An older woman with graying dark brown hair and a few wrinkles around her face came out and locked the door. She had to be in her later 50s early 60s. She had a kindly motherly face. It was awful late for her to be going out and Charlotte noted it taking her attention off Eliot.

"Mrs. Jelinek," she said and the older woman turned around, "what are you doing going out so late?"

"Hi Charlotte," she said with a thick accent that was obviously from Western Europe, "My son Damek is outside waiting to pick me up. I'm spending the next few weeks with his family for the holidays."

"Oh that sounds lovely. Will Mr. Jelinek be joining you soon?" she asked pointedly ignoring Eliot to her left.

"He's coming next week. He can't leave the tailor shop just yet," she said fixing her hat upon her head. "Can you remind him dear to water the flowers before he leaves? He always forgets."

"Of course no problem."

"And you're still staying here I assume?" she asked.

"I'm always here every holiday. Work eats up most of my time."

The older woman shook her head. "Even I know the library isn't open on national holidays dear."

Apparently they had had this conversation before many times because Charlotte seemed as unfazed by the woman's answers as Mrs. Jelinek was to hers. Mrs. Jelinek moved from talking to Charlotte to facing Eliot.

"And who are you?" she asked her voice full of kindness but with a hint of a challenge. She was obviously very fond of Charlotte.

Charlotte opened her mouth to answer but Eliot answered for her. "I'm Dr. Victor Seymour from Boston University. I'm a colleague of Charlotte's."

Charlotte rolled her eyes at him. He chose to ignore her. Mrs. Jelinek stared hard at him for a few seconds apparently appraising him up and down.

"You don't look much like a history professor." Without waiting for a response she continued. "It's just I don't think I've ever seen Charlotte take anyone, man or woman, near her apartment door before let alone inside. Except for her two friends from work, Denis and Jim." She shook her head at her. "She keeps to herself mostly."

She gave a small nervous smile. "But I always make time for you, Mrs. Jelinek."

"That is very true dear," she said smiling back at her.

Eliot interjected. "Why don't you wait for me to grab the papers I need from Charlotte's apartment and I'll help you carry down your bags?"

Mrs. Jelinek smiled. "That would be very kind of you indeed."

"Well I don't want you waiting outside while Victor grabs his things. Come in with us and then he'll walk you out," Charlotte said with a bit of anger in her voice.

If he was thinking he could get a free pass to her apartment by himself he had another thing coming. Charlotte unlocked her door and angrily pushed it open. Eliot, meanwhile, walked over and picked up Mrs. Jelinek's single suitcase much to her protesting and carried it into Charlotte's apartment.

Eliot surveyed her apartment quickly. It was a simple one bedroom apartment but it was quite spacious. There was a slight foyer so that Eliot couldn't see the kitchen to his right. The living room you could see directly from the door with another door in the opposite wall which was presumably her bedroom. The only furnishings that were there were the ones that had obviously come with it; a brown couch with a brown chair and coffee table. There was a TV against the wall on the left but there wasn't any DVDs, or CDs, or even magazines anywhere near the TV or coffee table. The walls were white, the same color she had obviously moved into. There wasn't even a poster or piece of art to break up the bareness of the walls.

Eliot took a few more steps and looked to the kitchen. It had basic living needs in it like a stove, microwave, dishwasher, and oven. Her dishes were piled high in the sink waiting for to be cleaned. She obviously didn't want to waste her water since she was waiting for a full load before she ran it. He looked on the kitchen table. There wasn't even a book there. And another thing that struck him as odd was there were no pictures anywhere. Even if Charlotte was estranged from her family she would at least have pictures of herself up somewhere but there wasn't even one from when she graduated college.

This apartment reminded him of his own. It was something he hadn't been expecting when he first walked in and it got his wheels turning in his head as to why.

Charlotte quickly took off her coat revealing her red sweater she had on underneath.

She tossed it on the couch and said, "I'll be right back." She headed through the door in the far wall, which Eliot had assumed was her bedroom.

"Líbí se vám žije v Americe?" Eliot asked in Czech. Mrs. Jelinek's eyes lit up at the correct pronunciation and grammar of her former home. "To musí být velmi odlišné, než na Moravě."

"To je. Někdy se nám stýská po domově, ale naše rodina se tady má lépe. Už nemusíme žít ve strachu. Někdy mám ale pocit, že jedině tak Charlotte žije, stále ve strachu." She shook her head sadly. "Dveře zavírá na dva zámky a z domu chodí přímo do práce. Jako kdyby se bála, že ji najdou. Nerozumím tomu."

Eliot looked keenly at Mrs. Jelinek. What she said did have some truth in it. From what Hardison had found out she didn't have a facebook, a myspace, an ebay account, an amazon account, or even a credit card or cell phone. Granted the only thing Eliot had on that list was a cell phone, but an untraceable cell phone. But all she had was a bank account and her social security number. It was very strange indeed. And the fact that she had allowed herself to become somewhat friendly with the people across the hall was also troubling. What was Charlotte Livingston hiding?

Eliot could ponder this question no more because Charlotte returned from her bedroom holding a folder and holding a book titled The Real Benedict Arnold by: Jim Murphy.

She handed the book and manila folder to Eliot and said, "This should help you just fine for your research paper. Just make sure you return the book to the library. Sorry, again, that I had taken it out myself."

It was a very polite formal conversation that was obviously a show for Mrs. Jelinek. For some strange reason it irritated Eliot that she had to put on a show for her. It wasn't any different than what he or anyone else on the team had done ever in their entire life. But seeing Charlotte put on an act was an entirely different story.

Thanks," he said tucking the objects underneath his arm. "And don't worry about it. I got to see your apartment and have a nice chat with Mrs. Jelinek."

He winked at the older woman and she just smiled right back. He bent down and picked up her suitcase with the greatest of ease.

"See you later this week, Charlotte," he said.

"Don't forget to remind my husband about the plants dear," Mrs. Jelinek chimed in as well.

"I won't. I hope you have a lovely time with your son." She replied. "And yes I'll see you later, Victor."

Eliot nodded and turned to Mrs. Jelinek. They both left the apartment. Charlotte let her breath escape. She hadn't realized she had been holding it until now. She didn't like people coming into her apartment or even knowing where she lived. And now she had just shown Eliot. She wanted to hit herself repeatedly over the head but she knew that would do no good. Maybe he wouldn't put the pieces together. Maybe she had kept him and the entire team at a far enough distance. But she doubted it, which frustrated her even further.

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTER'S, 12:20AM**

Hardison was still at the headquarters. Nate had gone down to the bar long ago followed by Sophie and Parker had left as well presumably to repel down the Addis Corporations building. Hardison was as usual on the computer. He had already hacked the CIA database twice tonight so now he was playing World of Warcraft on the big TV and he was kicking this guy's ass from Denmark.

"Oh don't try to fool me with that move!" he exclaimed hitting several buttons on his computer. "I know you're some nerd you doesn't get any action but I'm a geek. And it's age of the geek baby!" He hit a few more buttons triumphantly and-

Eliot burst through the door just returning from dropping off Charlotte. Hardison turned around startled and was promptly defeated by the man from Denmark. The computer made a defeated noise and Hardison whirled back around.

"Aw, man you made me loose!" he exclaimed angrily. "I was on a roll tonight! It's gonna take forever to get back those stats."

Eliot ignored him and asked, "How much do you know about Charlotte?"

Hardison angrily gestured to the screen. "Man who cares about Charlotte! I was-"

Eliot stalked angrily in front of the screen blocking his view. For such a short man he could really block Hardison's entire view.

Eliot cut him off. "How much do you know about Charlotte?" he repeated.

Hardison rolled his eyes and hit a few buttons on the computer. The screen on the TV changed from one of a forested glen to that of legal documents and pictures. Charlotte's picture from her library ID card popped up on the screen.

"Charlotte Eileen Livingston; born February 6th, 1978 in New York City. Attended NYU where she got a degree in American History. She has no living relatives. No criminal record not so much as a parking ticket. She moved here 5 years ago and has worked at the library ever since then."

Eliot glared at him. "Besides her birthday and college, what about before five years ago?"

Hardison hit a few more buttons and his look of annoyance turned to frustration. "There's nothing. I can't find anything." He paused. "It's like she appeared out of nowhere."

"Check WitSec."

Hardison stopped his fast typing, looked up at him, and said, "What?"

"Dammit Hardison, the Witness Protection Program," he growled out exasperated.

"I know what it is," Hardison said defensively. "But how did you come to that conclusion?"

"I saw the inside of her apartment. There's nothing personal in it. No DVDs, or CDs, pictures of family or friends, paintings, books, and no excess furnishings."

Hardison looked at him. "I'm pretty sure that's what your place looks like."

It took all of Eliot's restraint not to punch Hardison in the face. "She is obviously not part of a criminal organization for herself or others."

"Criminals can be in WitSec."

Eliot just looked at him.

"Just check, Hardison," he growled.

Hardison grumbled but typed in Charlotte's name into his self created government search engine. A file popped up onto the screen immediately with the name United States Government.

"That was quick," Hardison said somewhat surprised Eliot had been right.

"Open it," he growled again.

Hardison looked up at Eliot and clicked on the file. It opened and they began reading from the TV screen.

"Maura Donnelly?" Hardison asked bewildered. "That doesn't sound threatening. Let's see why she's in WitSec." He clicked a few more buttons.

Eliot folded his arms across his chest. "Her family runs the Irish mafia in Philadelphia."

Hardison abruptly stopped typing. "Wait _that_ Irish mafia the one that has strong connections to the Irish Republican Army? The mafia that no one outside of the crime circuit knows about? That Irish mafia?"

Eliot's mouth was tight with concern and anger as he spoke. "It's more deadly than the Boston one and almost as unpredictable as the IRA." He paused as he read more. "And to make matters worse her father, Keegan Donnelly, is the mafia's head hit man. Her brother Aiden is in line for that job. And her grandfather, Torin Donnelly, is the man running the operation making her father next in line to inherit the position of power."

There was a long pause after Eliot finished speaking.

"She's very brave to turn on her family like that," Hardison said finally.

Eliot's brow furrowed even more than Hardison had ever thought possible. "Yeah or crazy."

TRANSLATIONS:

* "Do you like living in America?" Eliot asked in Czech. Mrs. Jelinek's eyes lit up at the correct pronunciation and grammar of her former home. "It must be very different than in Moravia."

* "It is and sometimes we miss home but there are more opportunities for our family. We are able to not live in fear anymore. Sometimes I feel like that is the way Charlotte is living, always in fear." She shook her head sadly. "She double locks the doors and only goes from here to work. It is like she is afraid of being found. I don't understand it."


	4. Secrets

_A/N: I'm sorry that this took so long to post, but in all fairness this is a very logn chapter and I hope you all enjoy it! Reviews and critics are always welcome :)_

**Chapter Four – Secrets**

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS, THE FOLLOWING DAY, 9:05AM**

"I don't think it's an issue," Sophie said shrugging slightly. "Aren't we all hiding like she is?"

"I don't like it," Eliot said crossing his arms against his chest. "It gives me a bad feeling."

Hardison and Eliot had just shared with the rest of the team what they had found out the previous night. Sophie and Parker were sitting next to each other at the long table in the media room. Nate for once was sitting next to Sophie and wasn't talking at them but listening to Hardison and Eliot. Behind Hardison and Eliot was the screen with Charlotte's papers about her past. Hardison was looking at Eliot with a face that said he was overreacting, which Eliot tended to do a lot. Sophie was trying to look as comforting and passive as possible. Parker was fascinated by the papers behind Eliot's right shoulder.

Nate looked at Eliot sharply. "A bad feeling?" he asked incredulously. "You're a criminal who gets a bad feeling about a witness who stands up against the mafia?" He paused letting his words sink in. "You've worked with more dangerous and unsavory characters in your life."

Eliot wasn't backing down. "I still don't want her involved." The next words he spoke came out rough and harsh. "I don't like her."

"Oh so that's it," Nate said leaning against the table. "You don't mind working with someone in WitSec you just don't like Charlotte."

Sophie piped in again. "Well you're stuck with her Eliot. She wants to be involved and she is involved."

Eliot looked at Nate. At a quick glance he looked just frustrated and annoyed. He looked like he wanted to kill Nate. But a closer examination of his face revealed a hidden pleading behind the anger. He obviously really didn't like Charlotte.

"Well I like her," said Hardison cutting the tension that was forming. "If anybody cares about my opinion." Nobody turned to look at him. "Apparently, my opinion doesn't matter."

"So that's how she knew I grabbed her ID card," Parker said realization having hit her. She obviously hadn't been listening to anything that had been going on. They all turned to look at her. Parker smiled. "I like her even more now."

"Well I don't!" Eliot growled to her.

Parker gave him an incredulous look. Sophie was still looking intently at Eliot. Hardison shot Eliot a look.

Nate was unfazed by Eliot's anger. "Sophie's right Eliot," he said ending the discussion. "It's too late to get her uninvolved now."

Eliot looked furious. His mouth was in a tight white line and his eyes were narrowed. But he knew the discussion was over. He had lost the argument which was making him even more upset.

"I'm not driving her home anymore."

"That's fine," Nate said walking away. He was obviously done discussing this with Eliot.

Hardison shut off the screen behind him and said, "I don't know why this has got you so riled up, man. She isn't anywhere near crazy as Parker."

Parker nodded vehemently and then stopped suddenly realizing what Hardison said.

"Hey!" she said indignantly crossing her arms.

Hardison put his hands on his hips and asked, "Seriously?"

"I am not-" Parker said standing up going in for an attack.

Sophie stood up cutting Parker off before they got into a row. "If you two are going to fight take it somewhere else."

Parker closed her mouth shut with a snap as Hardison grabbed her elbow and led her away to the kitchen. Sophie looked hard at Eliot.

"You can't let her know that we know about her past, Eliot." He looked at her sharply. "If she knows we know she has to tell her handler."

He grunted obviously not caring. Sophie was getting annoyed at his lack of sympathy or understanding.

"She has a life here. It'd be unfair if she had to leave it just because some conmen figured out who she was."

Eliot also looked annoyed back at her. She leaned over Eliot trying to make him understand her point.

"You don't like when people go poking around your past. She'll be just as furious as you-"

Eliot stood up angrily and cut her off by saying, "I get it okay? Don't tell her we know."

He stalked off angrily frustrated that Sophie was talking to him like he was child. He got it. He wasn't supposed to tell her under any circumstances no matter how annoying or irritating Charlotte got. He needed to hit something to take out his anger. He thought about his gym at home. He was going there where he could hit as many things as he wanted.

Sophie watched him stand up and leave out of Nate's apartment door. She sat down letting out all the air she had been holding in. She knew Charlotte would find out and that it was only a matter of time. Eliot would never let something like this stay quiet when he could win an argument using it. Sophie just couldn't understand why. Why did Eliot have such an aversion to Charlotte? She fit right in with the team. Sophie loved that she had showed Parker how to intricately braid her hair all by herself. She loved how Charlotte had bonded with Hardison over orange soda. She especially loved how deftly she hid Nate's beer behind the spoiled milk and rotten eggs in the refrigerator. Sophie loved having a normal conversation with her. And she had been here less than 48 hours.

But Eliot and Charlotte, she had barely seen them interact and whenever they did arguing usually ensued. What was it about each other they couldn't stand? True Eliot could be a little rough and tough but deep down he really was a softie. And Charlotte though a bit standoffish was really very sweet. So why couldn't they have a civil conversation?

It then hit Sophie in a flash. Eliot and Charlotte were attracted to each other, both physically and emotionally but unfortunately both of them were too stubborn to admit it. Sure they had only known each other a day or two but somehow they liked each other just the same.

Sophie tried to remember if Eliot had ever shown interest in a girl other than for her body but she knew it had never happened. The last girl he had admired while with the team was Mikel and she had tried to kill him, but still he had only admired her for her physical prowess not her conversation skills, not that Eliot talked a lot. But still it seemed that he was mostly talking to Charlotte. He did the same thing with Hardison. He argued and bickered with him but at the end of the day he was the closest with him. Eliot and Charlotte didn't even know that they were interested in each other.

Sophie smiled. It was going to be a long few days. She wondered who would crack first, Eliot or Charlotte. She knew they were both stubborn and hot headed. Charlotte could be reasoned with but so could Eliot. They both would admit their mistakes and faults and realize they both had mutual feelings for each other. But the question still remained of who would crack first? Sophie had a suspicion it would be Eliot and if she helped things along a bit it would definitely be Eliot.

She stood up with a sudden thought of going back to her house but she felt certain of her decision. It was going to be good for everyone involved. And yes, it was definitely going to be an interesting next few days.

**BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 11:59AM**

Eliot felt ridiculous, once again. He had Nate, Sophie, Parker, and Hardison buzzing around in his head just like yesterday and Charlotte included. His hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, again. But this time he and Parker were in dark blue coveralls with matching baseball hats and logos that didn't mean a single thing. Both were standing perfectly still.

Sophie was standing in the main entrance of the library next to the large white marble lion next to the staircase. This time she had her hair down in loose brown curls. She was in a deep blue button-down shirt, black pencil skirt, and black stilettos. She wore a sapphire pendant and matching bracelet and held a black clutch in her right hand. This time it wasn't about making Cunningham a submissive partner, it was about gaining his trust. And nothing said honesty like blue.

"Damn, Sophie. How many papers did you bring for this guy to look at?" Eliot asked out of the corner of his mouth.

"Just enough to wet his appetite," she said defensively. "And I want to make sure the library keeps them." She paused slightly embarrassed that she had said that out loud. "I mean I'm not doing anything with them."

Before either of them could open their mouths to reply Cunningham came down the stairs from the main entrance.

"…Ms. Marino…" he said his hand held out tentatively in front of him.

She took it. It was still as sweaty as the day before but she hid her revulsion well.

"It's Rosaleen, remember John," she said slipping easily back into her New England accent. She gave a small smile.

"Rosaleen," he said nervously smiling as he said her first name. "I apologize for-"

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Cunningham?" Charlotte asked politely cutting him off.

Her hair was once again pulled back into a severe ponytail. It seemed the only time she wore it down was when she wasn't working. She was wearing a light pink wrap dress with a cropped charcoal gray blazer on top and bright pink heels. In short she looked even better than when Eliot had seen her last and it made something curl up in the pit of his stomach.

Cunningham fumbled for his handkerchief in his pocket and sopped up the sweat that was pouring off of his forehead.

"Rosaleen, this is Charlotte. She's assistant director of the rare document archives." He replaced his handkerchief back in his pocket and fixed his glasses.

"Ms. Marino," Charlotte said inclining her head. "If you'll follow me up to the fourth floor I'll show you where our documents are kept."

Charlotte started moving to go up the stairs. Sophie however didn't move but merely turned a little bit towards Cunningham. He hadn't moved.

"Won't you be joining us, John?" she asked sweetly.

"What?" he asked nervously wiping his brow again. "No…no I can't I have a phone call to make. I'll…see you for lunch afterwards."

He hastily walked to the back part of the library out of sight before Sophie could make a call after him.

Charlotte without missing a beat said, "He just has to call our financial backer for the library and he's seen the archives plenty of times, Ms. Marino." She gave a small smile as if to placate her irritability. She turned slightly around. "If you just follow me up these stairs there's an elevator we can take to the fourth floor."

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS, 12:06PM**

"The dude is finally calling Addison," Hardison said annoyance in his voice. He was sitting at the high table the large TV facing him.

**OUTSIDE THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 12:06PM**

"Well, of course he finally called him. He can't put off that he's got new commissions coming in from Sophie and that I'm here from the insurance company."

Nate was sitting in the dark unmarked van watching Sophie, Charlotte, and Eliot on one screen, Addison on one, and Cunningham on another. He smiled pleased with the way the plan was unfolding before them.

**BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 12:07PM**

Cunningham was nervously walking as he listened to Addison's phone ring.

"I missed hearing from you last night, John." The voice was cold and emotionless on the other side of the line. Addison was obviously displeased with the President of the library.

"I…I'm sorry," he said faltering. "I was very busy with new documents coming into the library." He paused nervously pushing his glasses up the bridge of his pudgy nose. "But there was something that came up yesterday. A Matthew Tennent from the insurance company came by yesterday." He nervously patted his forehead with his handkerchief again. "He wants to see our _newly acquired documents_."

There was a short pause.

"I'll meet with him on Friday and I'll show him our documents _personally_."

Cunningham let out his breath which he had been holding since he had made the call and nervously stopped his pacing next to the main staircase. He was safe, for now. Addison still wanted to keep him in this position and even though it might give him ulcers it was a well paying position.

"And John," Addison's voice took on a hard edge, "next time don't wait a day to call me otherwise certain consequences could happen."

Cunningham opened his mouth to say something but all he met was the dial tone of Addison hanging up. He swallowed convulsively and replaced his phone back in his pocket. He knew he should feel slightly better but the pit in the bottom of his stomach seemed to be squirming. He knew he was in trouble with Addison but as of now he didn't know how he was going to pay for his error.

He retracted his earlier thought. He wasn't getting paid enough for this job.

**OUTSIDE THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 12:11PM**

"Hardison-" Nate began.

**LEVERAGE HEADQUATERS, 12:11PM**

"I already got your background online, man." Hardison pulled his background he had created for Nate. "You're a lifer at the company with some seriously shady business with some major museums." He paused watching as papers shifted in front of his eyes. "And a major drinking habit."

He smiled as he quickly created a drunken picture of Nate at a bar and immediately created two more. Nate said nothing back over the ear-com. Eliot snorted as his way of agreeing with the profile of Nate.

"Anyway," Hardison said bringing back the attention to himself, "you look like a great guy to pay off…considering you spend some time at the horse races every Sunday."

There was also another great doctored picture of Nate, brandy in hand, at a horse race. A huge smiled spread across Hardison's face.

"Damn I'm good."

**BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 12:14PM**

Charlotte led them down the hallway away from the secretary and security officer. She flashed her badge though they both seemed to know her and nodded as she walked by. The ceilings were high and the walls bare and stark white very different than the opulent rooms downstairs that had marble and wooden panels. This was the business end of the library not the public part and it very much felt so. Charlotte's pink heels were the only sound that emanated from anywhere in the hallway. She walked a little farther down the hallway and stopped suddenly at the door on her left. This is where she had caught Parker trying to break in two days earlier.

She swiped her id card and opened the door to the archives.

Parker walked in first with Eliot behind her and then Sophie and Charlotte holding up the rear. The room smelled like dust and old parchment. It filled the room to the brim as it lazily floated around the large space. The lights flicked on automatically as Parker first walked into the room. There was an incalculable amount of metal shelves that housed numerous boxes of documents and maps. The room wasn't wide but it was deep and mildly impressive.

Immediately in front of them were two tables with reading lamps on top of it.

There was silence as Sophie, Eliot, and Parker surveyed the room. Charlotte noted that Parker's mouth was slightly open.

"You can put the bins right here," she said indicating the tables.

Her voice though quiet sounded loud in the vastness of the room as it echoed. Parker and Eliot complied quickly.

"This isn't where we process the documents, that's in a room a bit farther down the hall, but this is where we store most of them." Her ponytail swung back and forth as she spoke in a matter of fact voice. "This room is set at a specific temperature and pressure that's controlled at the security desk that we just passed. If the documents aren't too fragile when college students or scholars want to look at them we let them take it to the Bates Hall downstairs for them to read. If they do have to be handled under controlled conditions we have another room for that also down the hall from here."

Sophie cleared her throat as she spoke slipping back into her English accent. "This is a whole lot of documents to check whether they're fake or not."

Charlotte walked down the center aisle and turned right. They followed right behind her.

"Each document as a number that corresponds to one that's in our computer database system," she said pulling out a box and pointing to the number on the outside. "So 78645102 would have what it is, the basic history, where and when it was acquired, who gave it to the museum," she paused looking at all three of them, "and who approved it to be in the collection."

**OUTSIDE THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 12:19PM**

"Hardison-" Nate began again.

**LEVERAGE HEADQUATERS, 12:19PM**

"Dude I am already on it," Hardison said his voice holding a tone of indigence. He began clicking away and hacking the library's database.

**BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 12:20PM**

Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "Are you hacking the database for my library?" she hissed at them.

"Hey," Eliot said angrily back at her, "we are doing this for your own good."

She glared back at him. Sophie shook her head and moved back to the tables in the front. Parker just looked back and forth between them.

**OUTSIDE THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 12:20PM**

"Charlotte, there isn't anything highly secretive on your archives and we'll put it back the way we found it."

Nate's voice held a tone of impatience and annoyance as he spoke. He watched her on his computer screen as Charlotte reluctantly relaxed her stance and Eliot hesitantly moved out of an aggressive posture. Parker opened her mouth, thought better about it, and closed it with a snap. Charlotte replaced the box on the shelf and walked back out the center aisle.

He liked Charlotte but there was something about the girl that put him bit on edge. Maybe it was her know-it-all attitude or the way she had taken over. No, he knew what drove his temper to the quick it was how aggravated she made Eliot.

Nate liked Eliot, no mistake about that either. But Eliot had a short fuse when it came to his anger button and Charlotte had not even been here three days. In that short time she had managed to make him blow his temper multiple times, something Nate hadn't even managed to make happen in such a short amount of time. He merely didn't like her because she made Eliot dysfunctional. She made him act irrationally which was a variable Nate didn't want to deal with. It annoyed him that Eliot had become so upset with the idea of her being in WitSec. Nate agreed with Sophie, it wasn't an issue. But Eliot…Eliot believed it was as though it was a personal affront against him. In fact it wasn't a personal affront against anyone. He was just being overly sensitive.

But Nate still liked Charlotte although she was slowly driving Eliot nuts.

**LEVERAGE HEADQUATERS, 12:21PM**

"Okay so from what I'm seeing about half of the documents put in the past ten years that the Library claims to have, have been put through into the collection without inspection by Cunningham."

There was a pause as Hardison sorted through each page quickly scanning looking for Cunningham's name.

"That's about 416 documents," he said finally.

**BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 12:22PM**

"That's about the 75% of the all of the documents we've taken in over the past few years," Charlotte said quietly picking up one of Sophie's box of documents.

She did it to hide her frustration. Her anger was simmering just below the surface. If she kept her hands busy she wouldn't have to think about what Addison and Cunningham were doing to her library. Yes, her library. As far as she was concerned it was her library and no one else's. Who else had stayed late and cared for its documents? Who had reorganized its contents? Who had helped organize functions to raise money? Who had gotten new commissions? Who had given it the attention and affection that it so craved and deserved? She couldn't name another employee who had.

She looked up. All three of them were looking at her; Sophie with understanding and Parker with slight confusion. Eliot's eyes just narrowed as he looked at her. He obviously didn't care either way about her discomfort.

Charlotte cut through the silence with a shake of her head. "Let's take these down the hall to Denis." She inclined her head in the direction of the other box. "He'll want to look at them."

**BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, DOCUMENT RECOVERY ROOM, 12:26PM**

Denis Johansen bent over each map, cloth gloves on his hands, as Charlotte slowly handed them out to him one by one. His wild white hair was sticking up at random places and he nervously kept pushing up his glasses up the bridge of his nose. His wheezing was uncomfortably loud in the small room. Sophie stood on the opposite side of Denis' shoulder a small smile on her face her black clutch discarded on a chair next to the door. Eliot was standing by the door arms crossed glowering in the direction of Charlotte. Parker was looking in at the special chamber up against the wall that allowed especially fragile documents to be handled with care. It wasn't a very big room, nothing compared to the archives room but nonetheless it was impressive. There were two tables in the center of the room with the chairs facing the inside center aisle. Lamps were secured to the desks. The room was obviously set at a specific temperature and pressure. Eliot had noticed the change as soon as he had walked into the room.

"These are," Denis paused allowing himself a wheezy breath, "exquisite." Sophie preened a little under his praise. "However did you acquire them?"

Sophie saw all the cons she had pulled flash before her eyes. She saw herself as a lowly poor immigrant, a wealthy aristocrat, a helpless girl, a hit woman, a lawyer, an art collector…

She gave a small smile and said, "I have a talent for finding things no one wants anymore."

"Meaning she stole things she thought nobody would miss," Eliot said shooting out the cutting remark like a side comment.

Denis ignored him but Charlotte shot him a look. He tried to put on an innocent face but she just glared back.

"And you're going to be giving us these documents?" he asked his voice more breathless than usual.

"I have no need for these, Mr. Johansen. I prefer things that are slightly shiner." Sophie's voice was innocent enough but she made no fact to hide about what she was implying.

"Denis and I will start cataloguing these right away." Charlotte gingerly replaced all of the maps and documents back in the airtight containers. "You just need to make sure that Mr. Cunningham puts these through without inspection," she said looking at Sophie.

Sophie glanced at her watch on her wrist. "I'll make sure it happens, Charlotte, when Mr. Cunningham and I are at lunch. Speaking of which I need to get to." She went over to the door and picked up her clutch. "Come along you two," she said indicating Eliot and Parker. "Time to go."

Eliot moved to leave but Parker stayed rooted to the spot. Charlotte shook her head but a smile was on her lips.

"Come on, Parker." She lightly tugged on her elbow. "I'll walk you out."

**LEVERAGE HEADQUATERS, 6:34PM**

Charlotte peered over Eliot's shoulder as he made his final move against Hardison in their intense chess game. Her hair which had been tightly held behind her head was now down around her shoulders were it curled in tousled disarray. It was something that Eliot noticed she did as soon as she left work; she let her hair down, literally.

Denis and her had gone through every single piece Sophie had brought in. Mr. Cunningham had called about half way through their cataloguing to say that verification would not be needed for any of these documents. He would come in tomorrow and sign all of the necessary paperwork required for the approval. Sophie had obviously worked her magic over him. Everything was going to plan. Denis and Charlotte had worked in complete silence except for the rustle of paper and Denis' wheezing. It was how she preferred to work with no one talking and just things being accomplished. She had taken out her ear-com just for that purpose, so that she didn't have to listen to Hardison's comments, or Nate's ideas, or Parker's confusion, or Sophie's idea of management. But mostly she didn't want to listen to Eliot and his side comments about her. He was getting on her last nerve and it was only day three of knowing each other. She found that when she put her ear-piece back in she had a very annoyed Nate on the com asking her to come back to McRory's when she was done.

So no she was done work for the day and sitting in Nate's apartment waiting for Sophie to return from dinner and lunch with Cunningham.

The boys were sitting facing each other at the main table. The TV behind Hardison's head was for once off. Hardison had his fingers laced trying to think about what move to make next but for now it was Eliot's turn. He was carefully studying his black chess pieces but from his crooked smile one could guess he had already found the solution to the problem he had. Charlotte would have never pegged him as a good chess player or even a chess player at all. She was still surprised that he knew how to read. A caveman such as him she was surprised he still could function after all the hits he had taken.

They were playing while waiting for Sophie to return. Nate was somewhere upstairs they assumed plotting. And Parker…well they weren't quite sure where she was.

Eliot moved his knight in front of Hardison's queen and with both of his bishops still covering Hardison's king it was the perfect move.

"Checkmate," Eliot said smugly to Hardison.

"Dammit," Hardison exclaimed standing up annoyed. "I'm sticking to video games. They at least make sense and I can shoot people when I get mad." He paused and added, "It's a boring game anyway." He sounded like a pouting child.

"It's not my fault I beat you in three turns," Eliot paused and smiled a cocky grin, "every single time."

"You don't even give me a chance man!" he retorted back. "I move three times and you checkmate me!"

Eliot shrugged looking quite smug as he folded his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. Hardison went to turn on the TV in front of Eliot. Charlotte gracefully sat in Hardison's old seat studying the chess pieces before her.

"I bet I could even beat you, Miss. Librarian, in three turns," Eliot said confident and smug.

"I bet you couldn't," she said quite indignantly crossing her arms her green eyes glinting slightly.

"Really?" he asked disarming any qualms she had about playing him. "Many people have said that and have been proven wrong."

Charlotte reached into her back pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. She held it up in between her index and middle finger. Eliot still kept his relaxed posture but his brow furrowed at the thought of beating Charlotte at her own game. He liked the idea of showing up the librarian who had humiliated him in front of his team. He didn't just like the idea, he loved it.

"I bet twenty bucks," she said slamming the money down on the table, "that you can't beat me in three turns."

Eliot gave a small smile. He sat up and reached into his back pocket also producing a twenty. Charlotte reset her white chess pieces and Eliot reset his. Charlotte rested her head on her folded hands and went to looking at the board. Eliot looked down as well.

There was a long pause.

Eliot looked up at her. She wasn't concentrating. She was just looking at the board. Charlotte suddenly realized Eliot was looking at her and her head shot up. He suddenly got very annoyed.

"You go first," he said not trying to hide his temper.

"Really?" she asked sitting up surprised. "I thought black-"

"White does."

His annoyance was gone. Eliot gave a small smile. This was going to be easier than he had originally thought.

"Whatever," she said annoyed that he had cut her off.

She moved the king pawn forward two squares. Eliot without even hesitating followed by moving his king pawn forward two squares. Charlotte paused, thinking as she bit her lower lip. She then moved her king bishop to attack Eliot's king bishop pawn. Without hesitating he moved the pawn under attack forward one square. Charlotte moved her queen into a well defended position to attack Eliot's king bishop pawn. Eliot sat there staring at the board for a long time. He knew he couldn't beat her in one more turn. She was better than she let on.

Eliot looked up at Charlotte. She was looking quite innocently at him.

"What?" she asked as he studied her face.

Eliot could detect a hint of uncertainty behind her wide green eyes. He took out another twenty.

"Next three turns," he said placing it on top of the pile.

Charlotte pulled out a bill to match his bet and Eliot resumed playing moving his rook pawn two spaces forward. They continued playing Eliot still paying for every three turns he took. He was getting worried until he took Charlotte's knight and bishop in two turns without her taking anything. He was attacking her pieces hard knowing the more he lowered her pieces the better his king would be defended. Charlotte was concentrating with every turn thinking long and hard about each move but she was making very few mistakes.

Soon there were more white pieces on the board than black. But Eliot was a seasoned chess player and knew that this didn't mean anything. Though having more pieces to choose from was an advantage it didn't necessarily mean an automatic win. He held up his last twenty as Charlotte laid down hers.

"You better win during this round," she said with a ghost of a smile on her face. "I'm all out of money."

He just grunted staring at the board and then he saw it. The move he could make. Her King was in a well defended position but if he moved his Queen her bishop would be completely blocked. His face was blank as he moved his piece.

Eliot said, "Check-"

But Charlotte cut him off as she moved her pawn taking his King.

"And mate," Charlotte said with a smile on her lips. She took the nearly 400 hundred dollars and said, "Pleasure doing business with you, kiddo."

The door to Nate's apartment opened and in walked Sophie. She saw the bills in Charlotte's hand and was suddenly at her side. Without even turning around Charlotte quickly counted out one hundred and eighty dollars and handed it to Sophie.

Eliot's jaw tensed as he gripped either side of the table. "Did you two just hustle me?" he asked his voice dangerously low.

"Only slightly," Charlotte said tucking the bills into her back pocket.

"Sophie?" he asked his voice rising in volume.

She just smiled and said, "Today is just going to be one of those good days."

Sophie turned on her heel and walked into the kitchen trying to find Nate so that she could fill him in on every single detail that had happened. Charlotte stood up to leave as well but Eliot's hand shot out and caught her arm.

"I want my money back," he said his voice dangerously quiet.

She twisted her arm so that his hand popped off of her elbow. "I won your cash fair and square."

She went to go talk to Sophie who was eating left over Chinese in the kitchen

"You didn't tell me you could play chess!" he said sounding aggravated.

She flipped her hair making it take on a strange red glow as it caught the sunlight.

"You didn't ask."

"You didn't tell me you were good!" His voice was rising in volume.

She shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a good actress."

"I want my money back," he repeated. "I am not going to be conned by…by a…"

He was pointing at her. His index finger was almost touching her shoulder.

"A librarian?" she asked her voice taking on a sweet tone that made him feel like a small child.

He couldn't take it anymore with her sweet smile and her nice tone. He wanted to wipe that smile off of her face.

"No, by an Irish hit man's daughter," he said almost shouting at her.

For a whole minute there was nothing but silence. Sophie had stopped moving around in the kitchen. Hardison turned around from where he was sitting watching TV. Parker had even heard the commotion and came down from the ceiling where she had been trying out her new rigging system.

Charlotte's facial expression didn't change but her eyes grew guarded. Eliot had a strange look of triumph over his face.

"Excuse me?" she asked her voice was cold and emotionless.

"You heard me. When were you going to tell us you were in WitSec?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Your name is Maura Donnelly and you went into protection five years ago to testify against your family in Philadelphia."

"You have me mistaken with someone else," she said turning. She grabbed her blazer and black pea coat from off the back of the couch. Her heels made a dominating click on the wood floor.

"I don't have you mistaken with someone else. I've seen your file. I know who you are."

Her anger that had been simmering just below the surface exploded. "Dammit," she exclaimed. "I'm in WitSec. I'm not supposed to tell anyone that's the whole point of it! And what should it matter? Whether I am who I say I am doesn't have anything to do with the Library, Addison, Cunningham or the con." She paused. "Why should it matter, mister?"

Eliot paused not sure how to respond.

Finally he said, "It's something I would have shared."

Quicker than he thought possible she slapped him. Normally he would have been quick enough to catch her wrist. But she had caught him off guard something that hadn't happened to him in a long time. He knew it probably hurt her palm but she didn't let it show. He couldn't remember the last time he had been slapped; punched yes, kicked he could even recall but slapped he wasn't sure. And for some reason it felt like the slap hurt more than any injury he had ever received in his entire life.

"I understand that you and this team have gone through a lot. I understand that with everything you have seen and everything you have done makes you cautious and nervous about anyone new that comes into your life. But don't stand there and tell me you would tell a bunch of strangers a secret that could cost you your life. Don't lie to me." Her voice sounded like ice. "I've been lied to enough in my life. You know you should feel special though," she added her voice heavy with sarcasm. "You're the first person to belittle me since my father. Could job, kiddo."

Eliot was too stunned to say anything so he just watched her as reached into her back pocket, pulled out her money, and threw it on the chess board. Pieces went flying and they made a loud crash in the quiet room. Hardison and Parker seemed too stunned to say anything. Their faces were a mixture of intrigue, concern, and uncertainty. And Sophie knew better than to interfere when Eliot was like this. And if Charlotte was anything like Eliot it would be even more unwise to try and get them to make up at this time.

"If this had been the other way around you would have taken my money no questions asked," she said quietly her voice full of ice. "You just can't handle loosing. So take your damn money back and spend it on something good." She paused. "Like a few beers at the bar to get yourself a fast girl."

She grabbed her bag from the couch next to Hardison, went to the front door, and without so much as looking back slammed it. Adrenaline was coursing through Eliot's body. Something about her was slowly unnerving him. He hadn't had an argument with someone who wasn't afraid of him in a very long time.

Eliot stared for a while at the disarrayed chess board. His anger was ebbing and being replaced by an emotion he rarely felt, guilt. Why should he be feeling guilty? He hadn't done anything wrong. He had reacted like anyone else would when he had been swindled out of money. But still a feeling that felt nastily like guilt kept creeping up inside of his brain. He shouldn't have to justify what he had said. He felt something like accomplishment rise up in his chest again.

Parker, Hardison, and Sophie were still staring at him after his and Charlotte's argument and none of them had moved from their positions of looking at him.

Eliot stood there for a few more moments switching between guilt and accomplishment. But his mind brought him back to reality quite sharply as he felt the slap stinging his cheek again. He sighed angrily and grabbed the stack of twenties off of the chess board. He grabbed his coat from off of the couch beside Hardison and angrily started shoving his arms inside the sleeve.

"Dude, where are you going?" Hardison asked. "You just won the argument and got your money back."

He shoved his fingerless gloves on from his pockets. Eliot didn't even stop as he made his angry exit out of the door. He couldn't think of any come back or response to the question posed by Hardison so he just said what he always said.

"Dammit Hardison!"

And to punctuate his statement he slammed the door behind him.

Parker was the first to move as she slid herself all the way to the floor and unhooked herself from the rigging.

"Did he just tell her we knew about her being part of the Irish Mafia in Philadelphia?" she asked taking her blonde hair out of a ponytail and flipping it.

"He did indeed," Sophie replied going back to eating her Chinese food.

"Phew," she said wiping her hand across her forehead. "I was getting nervous. I almost told her like fifteen times today."

**OUTSIDE THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, DARTMOUTH STREET, 6:54PM**

Eliot parked his truck outside the library on Dartmouth Street. He knew Charlotte was going back to work. She didn't seem the type to go home and mope. She seemed the type to bury her feelings and not think about them by doing something else. He wasn't sure whether she had gone inside yet or not. But his instincts told him no. Then he saw Charlotte on his side of the street carefully avoiding the piles of snow in her pink heels.

He quickly climbed out of the truck and slammed the door as he called out, "Charlotte."

He knew she had to have heard him but she ignored him adjusting her saddle bag. She hastily crossed the street after waiting for a taxi to pass. Eliot didn't move. He watched her red hair swinging back and forth. Although she didn't let on, he could tell by the way she ran, even in heels, that she was athletic. He didn't even wait for a clear time in traffic to cross but walked across ignoring the angry honks and curses. Almost getting hit twice but not caring. Charlotte continued to ignore him as well walking briskly towards the library's main entrance.

"Charlotte," he growled out again.

She was just a few yards ahead she had to have heard him but she stubbornly kept walking ahead of him.

"Charlotte," he said yelling this time, jogging the few yards and grabbing her elbow.

They were standing in the pool of light emanating from the street lamp. People were bustling by them on both sides hurrying home from work and catching taxis. It was dark outside already the sun had set about an hour before hand. Charlotte's red hair caught the street lamp making it glow. Eliot got the feeling that she was very dangerous all of the sudden.

"Let go of my arm," she said coolly.

Eliot ignored her and tightened his grip.

"Just listen to what I have to say."

"I left the apartment so I don't have to listen to you, mister."

She wretched herself from his grasp and shoved her elbow into his stomach, hard. He felt the blow and although she wasn't very big she still packed quite a punch. He grunted as he took the unexpected force. Eliot's next thoughts were all instinct. He grabbed her forearm without thinking and pulled her to him locking her arm in place.

Her voice was dangerous when she spoke. "If you don't let go of me right now-"

"You'll what?" he asked challengingly. "Make a scene? How would you explain this to the police? Call your handler? You don't have a cell phone."

Charlotte didn't say anything. There was a short pause. Eliot expected her to relax her tenseness in her arms and back down but she didn't. Without warning she stepped on the inside of his shin while jabbing her elbow into his stomach again.

Eliot grunted but his grip didn't loosen, in fact it merely tightened. He was surprised at how adept her self defense training was. Something she had obviously picked up from her family given their profession. If it had been another man besides him he would have dropped her. And although his shin was throbbing slightly and his stomach was now hurting he wasn't about to let her go. Charlotte's mouth settled into a thin angry line.

"Is this how you get people to listen to you," she asked furiously, "just manhandle them 'til you're ready to talk?"

There was a long silence as they glared at one another. People walked past them on both sides but no one was paying much attention to the couple locked into each other's arms. To most of them it looked like they were a couple in love trying not to say goodbye as they parted ways. To those who looked closer it looked like a lover's quarrel and it was polite to stay out of those.

Eliot finally spoke. "I just wanted to give you your money _that you earned_ back." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the cash as he released her elbow. "But if you don't want it then by all means go to work."

She didn't take off into the library but stood there looking from the cash back to him a few times. She obviously made a decision as she took the crumpled twenties out of his hand.

"Anything else you would like to say?" she asked her voice as cold as ice.

He thought about it as though digesting the question. "You're not going to tell your handler that I found out who you are you?"

Charlotte thought about everything she wanted to say to him. She thought about everything she wanted to call him. He had endangered her life by finding out her past and had compromised everything she had built over the last five years. She was angry. The last time she had been this furious she had been yelling at her Father over five years ago.

"You're such an ass," she muttered as she turned to leave. Eliot caught it though and it strangely stung as though she had hit him again.

"But in case you're wondering no I won't. I don't feel like going through the paperwork of moving and changing my name." She said her voice dripping with sarcasm as she walked away.

Eliot opened his mouth to say a cutting remark back but Charlotte cut him off with a sudden movement. There was something behind the square protruding piece of the building that she was stopping to stare at. But it wasn't that she had stopped her mad walk it was how her body language changed. She went from being rigid to being slack in one second. And the next moment she was hidden from view behind the protruding piece of building.

Eliot heard her yell, "Denis!"

Instinct took over. Charlotte's voice wasn't one of anger but one of shock and concern. Eliot forgot what they had been fighting about moments earlier. He forgot about the harsh remarks and cutting statements. All he knew was that something serious was going on. He caught up to where she had disappeared. In the snow sat Denis Johansen, dead. He had been shot through the head point blank. The white snow had splashes of his red blood. His hair was sticking up at random places though a bit messier than usual. His eyes were open and unseeing underneath his glasses. His skin was turning blue. He obviously had been out there a long time and no one had noticed.

Charlotte wasn't crouching over him trying to shake him awake. She wasn't kneeling or lying on the ground crying. She was standing there looking at Denis her face unreadable.

"Give me your cell phone," she said her voice betraying no emotion.

He took a step towards her. Eliot wasn't angry at her anymore. He was concerned. People handled death differently and he wasn't sure how she would handle it. Obviously she had been accustomed to seeing and being around death. But to find someone she knew dead it was something entirely different.

"Charlotte, are you-"

She cut him off her voice rising a little. "Just give me your cell phone."

He did as she asked pulling it out of his leather jacket pocket and his fingerless gloved hand gave it to her. She hit a few buttons and turned her back to Denis. Her face looked out onto the hustle and bustle of the Boston Street.

"Jim, its Charlotte." She closed her eyes looking like she was getting a headache. "No…no I'm fine. No it's not that." Her eyes flashed open as she glared at Eliot. "Denis has been shot." There was a pause. "No I didn't witness it. I found him." There was another pause. "Outside the library. Yeah, I'll stay put. Kay. Bye."

She hung up Eliot's cell phone and handed it back to him.

"Charlotte, what the-"

"You should go," she said her voice flat.

"What?"

"If you stay here they'll be too many questions."

"Questions? That's not the-"

"Yes, questions. They'll want to know how you know me, what we were doing here, what you saw, your background…"

"I've lied before."

"I don't make it a habit of lying to Jim. He's the only person who knows anything about me." She took a breath as if trying to control her anger. "Well, who _knew_ anything about me." There was a pause between them and Eliot could feel the anger that had dissipated coming back. And it was all directed at him. "Just get out of here. Tell the team what happened. I'll handle this."

"Charlotte I-"

She cut him off annoyed. "Just get out of here, mister."

He stood there for a few seconds torn between staying with Charlotte and going to tell the team, then heard the police sirens. He turned on his heel and crossed the street again. The traffic was much less this time. He jumped back into his truck just as he saw an unmarked sedan pull into the street along with four police cars. Eliot looked at Charlotte one last time. Her arms were crossed against her chest in a defiant sort of way and her hair was rebelliously curled around her face. For a split second Eliot could see the young woman who was systematically taking down the Irish Mafia with her testimony. He saw the young woman who had betrayed her family but followed what she believed was right.

It all suddenly stopped as a young man in a suit and tie came over to her. This had to be Jim her Federal Marshall. He could tell by the way he walked that he had military training. Jim gently reached out and rubbed Charlotte's arms. He said something very quietly to her. She nodded very stiffly and he threw his arm around her shoulder as he led her back to the sedan.

Something settled into the pit of Eliot's stomach. It was hot and bubbly. He felt as though he was going to be sick. He wasn't sure what it was but he didn't like it. He angrily turned on his truck annoyed that he couldn't place the feeling.

He stole another glance at the scene to his left. Charlotte's face looked at him over the young man's shoulder. Her face still had the same stony expression but her eyes obviously caught sight of him in the truck. There was a split second where they looked at each other. A split second where Eliot thought he saw sadness in her eyes and something he hadn't seen from her yet, fear. There was a split second where Charlotte thought she saw concern and compassion coming from Eliot. But in the next moment it was gone for both of them.

Charlotte turned her head back around as she got into the passenger's side of the sedan and Eliot seeing this was his cue for leaving threw the truck into gear speeding all the way back to Nate's apartment.


	5. Aftermath

**Chapter Five – Aftermath**

**LEVERAGE HEADQUARTERS, 1:03PM**

Sophie handed Charlotte a delicately designed teacup. The blue flower pattern weaved its way around the rim and down the handle. The cream swirled around the inside of the tea turning it a light tan instead of a brown. Charlotte concentrated on that. It was easier to concentrate on the tea than on what the team wanted to talk to her about.

It was the afternoon after Charlotte had found Denis in the snow. Sophie and she sat on the couch facing one another. Parker was standing next to Hardison hands on her hips. Nate was sitting on the arm of the matching chair. And Eliot was standing arms crossed firmly leaning against the high table away from everyone else. None of them were saying anything but were looking at Charlotte intently. Charlotte reached forward for the teacup with both hands. She tried to control the shaking in her limbs. Her hands hadn't stopped since yesterday. It was the same when she had first turned herself over to the Feds. After she entered the program she hadn't stopped shaking for weeks. She hoped this bout wouldn't last that long. She didn't know how long she could hide it. She didn't want the team to realize just how affected she was. She was stronger than that and she knew it, but they didn't.

Charlotte took the cup from Sophie. It was a surreal moment. Just a few days ago she was having tea with Denis with this very same china on this very same couch. She took a sip. She could tell Sophie had spiked the tea with a bit of Nate's brandy. It gave her a weird note on the back of her tongue that she liked. She was thankful that Sophie had. The brandy warmed her insides more than just plain tea ever could.

Eliot saw Charlotte's hands shake but he was the only one who noticed. Considering she had just lost a dear friend she looked well. She didn't look tired or frantic. She didn't look like she hadn't slept or spent all night crying. She looked like she always did; a bit pissed off but still slightly welcoming.

Last night after he had left her at the library he had returned to Nate's apartment and told them what happened. Everyone had been silent except for Sophie who immediately told him to go back and look after Charlotte.

"She's the one who told me to get lost, ok?" he said gruffly defending himself. "I'm not going to go back and get her. I'm going home."

So he had, or at least he had tried to. He tried to do his normal routine: work out, tend to his garden, cook dinner, work out some more, and then catch his ninety minutes of sleep but he couldn't. So he had taken to driving around Boston and somehow through no fault of his own he had ended up outside of Charlotte's apartment. He wasn't sure how or why he had ended up there but he had. He parked his truck outside and saw her light on in her apartment. Eliot had gotten a sudden urge to go up and knock on the door but then he realized that if he showed up she would slam the door in his face with a snide remark. So not knowing why he had shown up in the first place he left.

He now watched Charlotte take another sip of her tea. Her hands shook more this time. Charlotte obviously noticed as well because she held her teacup in her lap not moving to take another sip.

Sophie seemed to think that this was the best time to ask questions. She quickly glanced at Nate before asking, "Did the police say what they think happened?"

"They think it was a mugging gone wrong." She paused. "Jim's not so sure. He's afraid my Father found me."

"What do you think?" asked Sophie.

"I don't know what to think," she said aggravation rising in her chest. She tried to keep it out of her voice but it slipped in without her meaning to. "All I know is that any decent mugger wouldn't have done it during rush hour on a crowded street. And if my Father had found me he would have killed me by now." She hesitantly reached up and tucked a piece of red hair behind her ear. Her hands were considerably less shaky. "He doesn't like collateral damage. And I'm an easy target. I have a set routine that I follow with little deviation every single day. And this isn't physiological torture; my Father was never very creative when it came to that."

There was a pause as the team looked at each other analyzing her words. Eliot realized she was right. No one should have attacked Mr. Johansen in broad daylight but they had. And Mr. Donnelly wouldn't have shot Denis to give Charlotte a message. He would have just shot her.

"Is Addison capable of something like this?" Nate asked Charlotte breaking the silence. His hands clasped in front of him.

"He's a business man. He doesn't see people. He sees assets or problems and problems are dealt with accordingly."

She took another sip of tea. Eliot noted her hands were almost steady now. It was easier talking about something not pertaining to Mr. Johansen for her. She wanted to remain detached.

"I wouldn't put it past him," she said simply. She straightened herself up and asked, "Where does that leave the job?"

Sophie seemed a bit startled that she changed the subject so abruptly but Nate was unfazed as ever. Parker's eyes narrowed slightly and Hardison crossed his arms against his chest. Eliot though the farthest away from Charlotte was the only one who saw her steady hands take one final sip from her cup.

"It leaves the job unchanged," Nate said. "Mr. Johansen was the client and not part of the job to take down Cunningham or Addison. We proceed as planned."

Sophie looked at Nate upset that he sounded insensitive, which he was.

She turned back to Charlotte when she realized Nate wasn't going to be sympathetic. There was understanding in her eyes."But if you need time to arrange certain things-"

Charlotte cut her off with a shake of her head saying, "His son already came to deal with Denis' funeral and Will."

"But don't you-"

"No, I don't," Charlotte said cutting off Sophie again. There was a finality about it that held Sophie's tongue against asking any more questions. She placed her tea cup on the coffee table. "So what's our next move?"

Nate was the only one who responded. "I go back to do my inspection tomorrow. Sophie's going to put more documents in the library today with Eliot and Parker. Hardison's going through Addison's and Cunningham's finances." He stood up and pointed at her. "And you are just sitting tight until we need you again."

Charlotte looked murderous for a split second but she regained her composure.

"I'll go to the library and wait for you guys to show up with the documents," she said to no one in particular.

Her voice was neutral neither warm nor cold. She stood up to leave but Sophie grabbed her elbow.

"Isn't there somebody else to look at all of the documents today?"

Charlotte gave a small smile. "No one as qualified as myself."

She grabbed her coat from the back of the couch and her bag. She hastily put it on and went to the door.

"Wait."

The one syllable word was loud in the quiet of the room. It was gruff and harsh sounding like a dull knife cutting silk. Eliot was confused. Who would stop her on her way to leave? It was obvious she was done with the discussion. Charlotte's head snapped to the group. Hardison, Parker, Sophie, and Nate turned around and looked curiously at Eliot over their shoulders. He wondered why they were all looking at him. Then he realized he had said "wait". His was the gruff voice that had spoken in the stillness of the room. Why the hell had he stopped her? He wanted her to leave and never look back. He could barely stand to look at her let alone make her stay. None of this inner confusion or realization showed on his face. He was stoic as ever, on the outside. He couldn't just leave that one syllable word hanging in the air. He had to cover the mistake with something.

So without really knowing why he said, "I…I'll drive you."

She opened her mouth to protest but he quickly grabbed his jacket from the table behind him and somewhat forcefully dragged her out the door, slamming it behind them.

There was a moment of silence then Nate said, "I thought he didn't want to drive her around anymore."

"Men!" Sophie said quite loudly as she stood up and left leaving a stormy exit behind her.

**ELIOT'S TRUCK, 1:18PM**

Charlotte and Eliot sat side by side in his truck, silent. They had been silent as they took the elevator downstairs. They had been silent as they walked through McRory's bar. They had been silent as they walked the little ways down the street. They had been silent as he started the car and drove towards the library. He had had his hand around the upper part of her arm as he somewhat forcefully dragged her down to the car; silent the entire time. But it wasn't a comfortable silence. Eliot could feel the anger radiating from Charlotte. He had been rash when he had said "wait". Rash. It was not a word to normally describe Eliot Spencer. Normally he was calculating and precise. Charlotte was irking him in a particular way today and he couldn't place why. Maybe it was because he had finally seen her in a vulnerable situation. But she hadn't acted vulnerable. She had been in control the entire time. He on the other hand…but that didn't explain his speaking without thinking. Eliot prided himself on thinking before speaking. He prided himself on saying a lot in a few simple words. So what had he really been trying to say when he had called out? He wasn't even sure himself.

"How'd you figure out I was in WitSec?" Charlotte asked breaking their long bout of silence.

Her voice sounded angry. She was obviously still mad he was driving her to work. She was also still mad he had figured out she wasn't who she said she was. Eliot decided now wasn't the best time to pick a fight with her. Although he didn't like her he was going to be sensitive to what she was going through. He had been through it countless times having a friend die. So he answered her.

"You didn't have anything personal in your apartment: no pictures, books, movies, cds. You have only a home phone, no facebook, no cell phone, one email address, and one bank account. You have no close friends just acquaintances." He gave a small smile. "But the most telling thing was that you knew Parker picked your pocket. I can't even tell when she does it do me."

Charlotte smiled back her anger dissipating slightly. "I'm a pretty adequate picker myself, something my brother taught me. Just like he taught me how to escape a tail, how to throw a knife, basic self defense, how to pick a lock, chess, how to stitch up a wound, shoot a gun, and when someone sits outside my apartment in his truck at 2:31 in the morning."

Eliot almost slammed on his breaks. If he wasn't in the middle of the road he would have although he would have been rear ended by the guy behind him. How could she have known? He hadn't even known he was going to end up there himself. And it wasn't like his car stood out in a crowd. He was good at covering his tracks but apparently she was just as good as uncovering then. She was accurate on the time as well. So she obviously didn't just guess. He didn't say anything but just looked at her and glared his hands tightening on the steering wheel as he did so.

"Although I appreciate the sentiment, kiddo, I don't need to be looked after." She paused. "Just like now."

She was obviously still not happy about being driven in. He had gotten that message loud and clear. He hadn't wanted to drive her either. Hadn't he just said yesterday that he didn't want to drive her home anymore? Well he guessed this wasn't technically home but still. He was driving her. She was in his car and they were talking, and his patience was wearing thin but here he was being verbally attacked by her for his actions.

Maybe that's why he had said wait because he wanted to look after her to make sure she was ok. Of all the reasons as to why Eliot might be driving her to work it was the one he liked the least. She obviously didn't need to be looked after.

"It's snowing," he said with a gruff defensive tone. It was the only thing he could come up with. He couldn't tell her he didn't know why.

"Yes, well thankfully the subway is underground, mister." Her voice was heavy with sarcasm as she shot him a dirty look.

"You should have told me not to drive you then."

"Well, you manhandled me before I could get a word out. That seems to be your tactic with me. Before I can tell you 'no' you physically over power me so that I have to comply."

Her voice came out angry and harsh in his truck. It reminded him an awful lot of his own. Eliot had nothing to say back to her. It was how he got his way. She tucked a piece of red hair behind her ear. Her hands were slightly shaking again. She took a breath and started speaking like she was trying to explain a difficult concept to a small child.

"Look, just because someone died does not mean I need to be treated with kid gloves. I'm not going to break down and start crying or have a mental episode or do something stupid. Things happen, people die."

Eliot glanced over to her sharply. Inside his mind he was highly confused but his face showed nothing just his neutral expression of an angry glare.

"He was your friend, Charlotte."

"So were some of the people my Father killed."

She paused her thoughts turning to people she had considered friends. There had been Shannon, Cillian, Thomas, and Mary; those four whom she had grown to love even though she was only supposed to see them for business. Ones she had shared secrets with and stories who she had called late at night for advice and comfort. They could sit in the same room and not speak a single word but still feel like they had hung out. But when you were in the mafia friends only remained around as long as they were useful. She had learned that many times and her Father had always made a point about it. They were disposable like a pen after the ink had dried up. Good for only the services they provided. She had had actual friends in college ones who didn't know what her family did but they were all gone now that she had made this decision to go into Witness Protection. She might as well as killed them herself. But it was worse. She didn't have any pictures of them to soften her grief or visit their graves. She couldn't even so much as look them up online. She couldn't drive by their house for a memory. She would never see them ever again and it gave her the same dead feeling inside. She was forgetting their laughs and smiles. She was forgetting what made them unique and special. Soon they would be no more than static characters in her memory and somehow that made Charlotte sadder than not having anything from them.

She came out of her reverie and said, "I've already done my mourning and have moved on. Some might consider it cold-hearted but I see it as-"

"Surviving." Eliot finished for her. His voice came out softer than he would have liked.

A moment of silence passed between them. It was a silence of mutual understanding. They both understood each other equally at that point in time. They understood each other better than they had originally thought. They were people with pasts that were different and yet so familiar to one another at the same time. It was a comfortable unforced realization. It was in that second that Eliot realized that they were more similar than he could have imagined. How many kills had he stacked away in his brain and put away for good so that he could continue through the day? He understood her personality now. He understood who she was and what she wanted. In that split second he didn't find her irritating or annoying because he saw himself in her.

"And what do you call your shaking hands?" he asked with a sarcastic edge breaking the silence.

Charlotte quickly clasped her hands tightly together trying to control her jerky movements.

"Adrenaline that hasn't worn off yet."

Eliot knew that was a lie but he didn't argue. He couldn't remember for how long his hands shook after his first kill. No that was a lie he knew when it had stopped but he had tried to hide it so well. He was sure men in his unit had noticed his hands. He was only 18 at the time but none of those men had said anything presumably because their hands shook too. He closed his eyes trying to block out the memory. Some things were too painful to be remembered again.

Charlotte stared down at her clasped hands. She knew it wasn't adrenaline either. It was a reminder she was human and felt Denis' death as deeply as her first.

_She remembered every detail of that day so clearly. It was April 16__th__ when she was just 8 years old. She knew what she was doing; playing outside in the backyard with her brother after school. She knew what she was wearing; a blue sundress with a white floral pattern and white flip flops with a blue bow in her hair. Her mother had picked it out for her after she came home and took off her school uniform. She remembered her Father coming out of the huge house and standing on the deck. Their Father wasn't supposed to be home until dinner. Charlotte didn't care. If he was home early maybe they would play and have fun before bedtime. She had missed her Father all day and he was home. _

"_Da!" she had exclaimed stopping what she was doing and running towards him her red hair flying but she stopped short as she realized he wasn't going to pick her up and hug her._

_Aiden came up short beside her. His face was solemn and his green eyes so much like her own looked sadly upon the face of their Father. Her Father's face was blank and his eyes were expressionless as he looked between his children._

"_Your Ma's dead," he said simply. "A car crash."_

_Aiden looked sad. He had been twelve. He knew how things were going to change from then on. He knew what was to be expected of him and he tried not to let it show on his face._

_Charlotte didn't know how to comprehend what was going on. It felt like she had been stabbed in the stomach and she couldn't breathe. Her Ma was supposed to be at home watching them. How had she gotten hit by a car? She didn't understand then. It was when she was older she had heard about how her mother had been beaten by a rebel in the mafia, a rebel who was dealt with accordingly. But that one day changed everything about her life and nothing would ever be the same._

Charlotte came back to the present and continued reprimanding Eliot. She wasn't in the mood to think about sad thoughts from her past. She was just going to think about now and keep moving forward.

"Tell the team I'm going to forget this ever happened and that they should do the same. If they ever attempt to bring up my feelings or thoughts regarding this matter there's going to be an issue."

"I'll tell them," he said gruffly not wanting to create a scene with her. "They won't like it but I'll tell them."

They had finally arrived at the library. Eliot threw the truck into park as she unbuckled herself and grabbed her bad.

"See you in a bit, mister."

"Charlotte," Eliot said quickly. She stopped her hand on the door handle. He wasn't sure why he had stopped her. This was twice in about twenty minutes he had stopped her without really knowing why. She looked at him expectantly. He fumbled for a second trying to think of something to say. "Here," he said reaching into his pocket and handing her an ear bud.

She smiled and took it. Their finger pads lightly brushing against each other. It was the first time their skin had touched, well besides when Charlotte had slapped Eliot or when he had angrily grabbed her bare wrist but neither of them counted that. They stopped frozen in their tableau as they looked entranced by their fingers touching. Neither was really sure why. They had touched numerous hands before and the skin of other people. There was nothing exceedingly special about their hands but there they were sitting stock still like they had never touched another human being before in their lives. It was a weird sensation and neither of them was sure how to end it. They weren't even sure if they wanted to end it. Their eyes flicked from their hands to each other and their eyes locked.

"Thanks, Eliot," she said quietly taking the ear bud breaking the connection between the two of them.

It was the first time she had said his name. Eliot found his mouth was having a hard time forming words. She gave a small smile and he found his mouth had gone dry. It was a simple gesture saying his name but one that he hadn't been expecting. But it was something more than that. It wasn't merely she had said his name but the way she said it. It formed like an exotic word upon her tongue and then fell from her lips softly. It was just his name. He had heard it said a million times before but something about the way she said it made him stop dead in his tracks. And it was strange that Charlotte, the girl who he had despised for the past few days, was the one who could have that affect on him.

"Welcome," he finally managed to say.

But his voice sounded strange in his truck. It sounded raspier than usual and tiny. Charlotte didn't seem to notice and opened the car door. She dropped about a foot as she landed on the ground. Eliot watched her red head bob up and down as she ran across the street and into the library. Eliot's hands tightly gripped the steering wheel his knuckles turning white as he took a deep breath. Charlotte was going to be an issue whether he liked her personally or not.


End file.
